American Jewish World Service (AJWS) is stimulating an important conversation through their “Where Do You Give” campaign. Noting that the connectedness of the world makes it as easy to give to a project 10,000 miles away as it is to give to your local food bank, AJWS is asking two questions: “Does the accessibility we [...]

I try not to make a habit of repeating myself, but there are times when an exception makes sense. I just learned that there are still tickets for the February 24 conversation between Isabel Allende and Eve Ensler, author and founder of V-Day. Having seen Isabel on stage many times, I can tell you there [...]

On Monday, January 30th, the White House will honor Dr. Wanjiru Kamau-Rutenberg as one of fourteen “Champions of Change” who are leaders in American Diaspora communities with roots in the Horn of Africa. I had the pleasure of meeting Wanjiru earlier this year—she is brilliant, passionate, energetic, and deeply committed to others. The nonprofit she [...]

On January 24th, the Chronicle of Philanthropy reported that Fidelity Charitable is now raising more than it did before the recession started–$2.9-billion last year, up from $1.6-billion in 2010 and $1.9-billion in 2007 before the downturn started. (Since most of the gifts it receives are in the form of stocks, the increase is largely attributable [...]

Looking for an opportunity to be in the presence of great brilliance, creativity and courage? At 7:00 p.m. on February 24, my friend Isabel Allende will be interviewing Eve Ensler, author and founder of V-Day—a global activist movement to end violence against women and girls. In addition to talking about her new book, I trust [...]

With this new year, I send my deepest thanks to my friends and teachers around the globe. Your work to alleviate the suffering caused by poverty, illiteracy, gender-based violence, lack of healthcare, and countless other forms of social injustice nourishes and informs me daily. You make real for me the truth of this quote from [...]

I just learned that Warren Hellman passed away last night. Warren was many things, among them a billionaire, an investment banker, and the founder of Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, a music festival he created for San Francisco. I knew Warren as a musician and a philanthropist–a man who gave with great compassion and generosity. The Bay [...]

Oxfam’s new report, A Place at the Table: Safeguarding Women’s Rights in Afghanistan, warns that “There is a risk that the government may sacrifice women’s rights in order to secure a political deal with the Taliban and other armed opposition groups.” My friend and client Khaled Hosseini added his voice to others standing with Oxfam [...]