Taking CSR to the next level with crowdfunding

For businesses today, it makes sense to maintain a corporate social responsibility program. Giving back to the communities where they operate increases the company’s value in the eyes of stakeholders. Majority of consumers admit that corporate philanthropy also affects their choice of brands and stores to support.

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While nearly every type of business, from small companies to large organizations, has sought to do its part in providing help to society through CSR projects, current methods can’t keep up with the pace of needed changes. Good intentions may not be enough when companies do not know the best, most direct way to give back to the community. Likewise, the intended beneficiaries of social responsibility may not always be able to communicate their needs to the entities that could provide the necessary aid.

This is why companies seeking greater impact of their CSR projects should look no further than the possibilities opened by modern technology. These days, an emerging method is through online fundraising. Through sites that call attention to social realities, individuals pool their resources and donate to support a proposed solution to problems.

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Companies looking for better ways to donate can turn to crowdfunding sites to improve their current CSR programs. Through available technology, the process of gathering donations and bringing people under a single cause has been made easier than it was before. What used to take months to complete can now be done in a matter of days.
 
In addition, crowdfunding allows companies to participate in worthy causes in a highly transparent channel. The other participants and recipients of the donations know exactly how companies have helped the cause and businesses get the immediate boost to their image.

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Alex von Furstenberg does his part to help communities through the Diller-von Furstenberg Family Foundation. Visit this website to learn about the organization’s goals and methods.

ACRIA: A recognized international leader on the issue of older adults with HIV

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 Although many Americans consider HIV/AIDS as an issue belonging to decades past, there are still so many adults who are living with the disease today and dealing with the AIDS stigma. Fortunately, many organizations, like The AIDS Community Research Initiative of America (ACRIA), recognize the struggle that AIDS/HIV victims battle against.


ACRIA, through its Center on HIV and Aging, has been recognized as a leading proponent on the issue of older adults with HIV. The Center examines, determines, and pursues solutions to a wide range of problems faced by aging adults living with AIDS or HIV. Its efforts are focus on research, education, and advocacy promoting information dissemination not only to lay communities but also to scientific organizations and various AIDS service providers. Furthermore, the Center seeks to conduct open exchanges or dialogues among these entities to support the development of public policy guidelines, identify needs that haven’t been addressed, enhance the delivery of healthcare services, and advance research efforts to fill in information gaps.

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Other initiatives that ACRIA has been involved in include the following:

• Participating in nationwide conferences on HIV and aging.
• Leading the move to save the New York State AIDS Institute.
• Partnering with other organizations, like the HelpAge International and Terrence Higgins Trust, in conducting a worldwide sign-on letter to UNAIDS on HIV and aging.

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ACRIA recognizes CDC’s predictions that half of those suffering from HIV in the US will be over 50 years old by 2015. With this data, consolidated effort from both government and non-government sectors should have a significant push to improve the quality of life of this underserved population.

Business maven Alex von Furstenberg serves on the National Council of ACRIA. Find more links to articles and discussions on various health advocacies by following this Twitter page.

The real solution to ending world hunger

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Eradicating world hunger is one of the dominant reasons for giving to charity. However, donating food may just be a stopgap solution to a growing problem. After all, when the giving stops, the eating stops as well.

The saying “…give a man a fish he is hungry again in an hour; if you teach him to catch a fish you do him a good turn,” written by Anne Isabella Thackeray Ritchie and now an oft-cited proverb, is one of the inspirations for sustainable solutions against world hunger and poverty. People in the most impoverished areas around the world are increasingly relying on government aid and charity donations for their daily rations instead of actually learning livelihoods.

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What governments and charitable organizations can do is create programs that teach self-reliance in subsistence. Education can be the key to end world hunger, not limited food handout programs. Technology on how to grow food faster and more efficiently already exists, but knowledge of productive use is still wanting. Giving access to such technologies provides subsistence and a renewable source of income, and the opportunity to grow further economically through the sale of surplus produce.

These reforms need to be cushioned by governments. Protecting small farmers from the agricultural monopoly of big corporations is crucial their survival in the market and in life.

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Alex von Furstenberg dedicates his life to many charitable institutions via the Diller-von Furstenberg Family Foundation. More information about the Mr. von Furstenberg’s work with the foundation is detailed at this website.

Ending malnutrition: Saving the children and the world

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In developing countries, child malnutrition is neither a choice nor a misgiving among parents. The problem is rooted on the absence of access to basic nutrition.

One in five children in the world succumbs to malnutrition everyday. In five countries in Africa and North Korea, the rates of hunger are higher than those of 20 years ago. These statistics are reported by Save the Children, an independent organization dedicated to bringing lasting change in the lives of children in need across the world. Two million children die each year from chronic malnutrition—a depressingly bloated figure that speaks to ineffectual effort in combating and prioritizing food distribution worldwide.

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Countries like Ethiopia and Bangladesh are singled out for their successful nutrition programs, which ensure that their next generation would be protected from this largely invisible crisis. However, many countries in Africa, particularly those north in the Sahel region, are still losing the battle against food crises. Last year’s ravaging famine in Somalia has so far taken between 50,000 to 100,000 lives. While famines are geographical consequences, greater political commitment from the affected countries’ governments to aid food production should align with more external aid from global charitable institutions and donors.

During famines, it is the children who are the first to go, as chronic malnutrition leaves them more vulnerable to the associated diseases of malnutrition. Malaria and pneumonia, causing permanent damage to their bodies and brains, have lifetime repercussions for victimized children.

The time to act against malnutrition is now.

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Alex von Furstenberg has been involved in various charitable pursuits in education, environmental advocacy, and childcare. Visit the Diller-von Furstenberg Family Foundation website to learn how to help their cause.

Philanthropy for the love of sports

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Games and sports provide opportunities for the youth to mingle with other kids and get some exercise. Outdoor play should not be deprived from kids but rather encouraged among them. Engaging in games and sports not only contributes to a fulfilling childhood but also helps in developing a healthy body and mind.

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The Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks sees the importance of physical activity, which is why it partnered with humanitarians, including Alex von Furstenberg, Ali Kay, and The Diller – von Furstenberg Family Foundation, for the refurbishment of existing outdoor basketball courts in LA. Selected courts will benefit from the tie-up since it will sponsor and manage several court repairs and upgrades. The restoration of such courts will depend on the individual site-specific needs, which include improvement of goal posts, replacement of glass backboards and goal rings, and installation of asphalt court surfaces. The selection will be based on the courts’ usage and need for enhancement.

The organization understands that these basketball courts play a formidable role in inspiring the youth to get healthy, get smart, and get social.

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Business maven Alex von Furstenberg’s advocacy to help the youth through sports has been evident throughout his career. Find out more about his humanitarian efforts at AlexVonFurstenberg.com.

Heart of Los Angeles: College access to underserved kids

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What used to be a luxury reserved exclusively for the rich is now a right that everyone deserves to have—education. The Heart of Los Angeles (HOLA), an organization providing underserved youth with exceptional programs in academics, arts, and athletics, believes that kids belonging to low-income families should get an equal opportunity in attaining a college education from top-tier institutions.

HOLA attests that such kids have a low representation at top colleges and universities in the US but are overly represented at public access two-year schools. There are several reasons why it is such a struggle for underprivileged youth to get through elite colleges, and topping the list is the fact that low-income families can’t afford the cost of applying to more than one college. Kids also often face the pressure from their parents to stay local, or worse, to skip college. Moreover, the lack of outside support causes teens to not have a better understanding of their abilities and talents. Hence, they wouldn’t know what their choices are in college, which sometimes results to the decision of not going to college at all.

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HOLA understands that intervention is indicative of significant worth for all kids to have a bright future. It firmly values the need to strengthen more nationally recognized programs that exercise efforts of putting low-income youth in selective colleges. The organization appeals to these colleges to readdress their application and admission processes in order to widen their doors to low-income youth.

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Philanthropist Alex von Furstenberg’s advocacy to help the youth get access to education has been going on for years as evidenced by his support for the Heart of Los Angeles, among other organizations. Get to know more of his humanitarian efforts on this Facebook page.

Giving is an investment

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Many people believe that money is the root of all evil because it tests the limits of humanity. However, money is just a tool, and in the right hands, it can be a source of hope—an investment to a better future.

This thought might be what runs in the minds of those who have given away a significant portion of their hard-earned money to different causes, from saving rainforests to fighting drug abuse. These people view money as more than just a means for them to enjoy the good life. To them, it is a tool for making a difference by investing on relevant causes and leaving a legacy of hope for the betterment of their fellow men.

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Many people believe that the rich only give so that people will remember them. And while it is true that some give to charities or do volunteer work so they could be noticed, many have shunned the spotlight, preferring to remain unnoticed. Chuck Feeney, an Italian-American billionaire, is one such person. He spent the last 30 years giving away over $7 billion that he amassed from selling liquor, perfumes, and cigarettes in his empire of duty-free shops. His donations are aimed to support different causes in education, science, health care, aging, and civil rights in many countries around the world.

Mr. Feeney is a shining example than many young philanthropists should aspire to become. Giving should not only be seen as charity but also as an investment toward a bright future for all of humanity.

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Alex von Furstenberg is a member of the board of directors of the Diller-von Furstenberg Family Foundation, an organization that aims to positively impact the world by improving people’s lives and strengthening communities. You can visit this website to learn more.