Lynne Rosenthal wrote a story for Women’s enews describing her evolution as a donor; she gave $1,000,000 to the Ms. Foundation because she was passionate not only about the causes the foundation supports but also the way it provides funding.  She wrote that it is:

“…a philanthropy that is horizontal and democratic, not vertical and hierarchical…. it is a culture that is just and right and that creates lasting social change.”

We may not have the largess that Lynn has, but we can still benefit from her story and her philosophy of giving.

• Give as much as you can as often as you can. 
  Lynn got started with a $25 donation.
• Be thoughtful - and selective - about the charities you support.
  Take a good look at how the money you give will be used; check to be sure that the charity is real and that a decent percentage of the money you give will reach the people you want to help. 
• Keep track of your donations.
  It’ll make things a lot easier when tax time rolls around if you have good records to document your donations.

You don’t have to give a million to feel like a million when you support causes close to your heart.   As Maya Angelou said, ” I have found that among its other benefits, giving liberates the soul of the giver.”

TAGS: charity. philanthropy, contributions to women, living a rich life, support, taxes, Women and Aging

Way too often we can get stuck.  Our education, experience and even our expectations of how we (and others) should behave can cause us to miss opportunities to get better.

In today’s New York Times, Janet Rae-Dupree writes about research conducted by Carol Dweck, a Stanford psychologist.  Dweck, perhaps not so surprisingly, has found that the way people think about their ability to improve their innate talents makes all the difference.  Those who believe that their intelligence and talent has been predetermined by nature are less likely to push themselves to create and innovate than those who subscribe to the belief that their abilities can grow over time.

So which camp do you belong to?

If it is the first - and if you want to move to the other side, consider this quote from Dweck included in the article:

“People who believe in the power of talent tend not to fulfill their potential because they’re so concerned with looking smart and not making mistakes. But people who believe that talent can be developed are the ones who really push, stretch, confront their own mistakes and learn from them.”

(more…)

TAGS: change, creativity, life long learning, productivity, Risk-taking, support

Today I spent 30 minutes on a planning phone call with 3 senior women who’ll serve as panelists at a session about negotiation I’m conducting next month.  The session is for other women in their company; these folks have been invited to share their experiences. 

I was struck by how important it was to these women to talk about things that would be helpful to the audience and how seriously they took their responsibility.  I was equally impressed at how supportive they were of one another.  As a result, I’m pretty confident that the group we’ll be working with will find the panel discussion helpful.

On a personal note, I find myself looking forward to learning more about these women and their company because too often I don’t get that same sense of collaboration among women who have risen through the ranks in Corporate America.  Do you think that is because way too often they were the only women in the room?  In any case, when it happens, it’s magic.

TAGS: panels, support, Women at Work