I Live Here, I Give Here

For my final blog post, I thought I'd go ahead and tackle a tricky subject.  In the fundraising world there's a bit of contention around the subject of administrative fees. On one hand, with the best of intentions, donors often earmark their money to go directly to the programs that serve clients, and on the other hand, fundraisers know that those fees are essential to keeping the wheels turning and clients served.

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Holiday season is in full swing and as you are running around picking up last minute gifts, you might consider farm animals. Not to take home with you, but to donate to a family in South East Asia or Africa. Enter Heifer International. 

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Our Community Needs Spotlight issue for January is Homelessness and while it may be December, naturally, I’m researching and preparing a month ahead and the statistics of the issue are fresh of mind.  As fate would have it, when I was leaving the office a few nights ago and walking to my car, I made eye contact with a young man, maybe 19-years-old, sitting on a bench with his 20lb short-haired dog, and he asked me, “Does it get better?  Does life….does it get easier?” 

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Last Tuesday evening The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, a national, living memorial honoring President Woodrow Wilson, was in town to fete four Austin leaders.  I attended the event as a Board member of the Long Center for the Performing Arts .  The Wilson Center honored Dr. James Truchard and Jeff Kodosky, who created National Instruments, with the Woodrow Wilson Award for Corporate Citizenship. The award recognizes executives who, in their business practices and personal actions, show a deep concern for the common good beyond the bottom line. Dr. Truchard and Mr. Kodosky cofounded National Instruments in 1976, along with Bill Nowlin, establishing themselves as visionary leaders and technology pioneers. The company has recently been recognized as one of the top 25 multinational workplaces by the Great Place to Work Institute and FORTUNE magazine. Kodosky and Truchard are Austin pioneers in business and in philanthropy each sharing their wealth with our neighbors and encouraging their employees to, as well.

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In case you hadn't already heard... our very own Patsy Woods Martin was quite the shining star on Sunday night!  She competed as a star dancer in Dancing with the Stars Austin, an amazing fun-draiser for the Center for Child Protection.  She danced the cha-cha beautifully, as we all cheered her and her professional partner on from the sidelines and they received all 10's from the judges!  (Okay, so did all of the other dancers, but that just meant that it was up to the audience to decide the winner in the end.)  Unfortunately, she wasn't the evening's final winner, but wow, did she ever give it her all!  And through the experience, she was able to contribute to what ended up being an amazing event.  

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