Curing the illiteracy syndrome ... One. Word. At. A. Time.

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As of this writing, millions of people in America can’t even read this sentence to save their lives.

Such is the demon of literacy that it deprives so much for so little. Without the minimum required literacy skills, fluid navigation through society and upward social movement are close to impossible. The statistics, however, is staggering. There are approximately 93 million American adults with basic or below-basic literacy. Of these, 30 million are functionally illiterate and about 63 million below the 5th grade literacy level cannot even understand a basic newspaper. As if these aren’t enough drawbacks, it is also worth noting that the low literacy level is costing the government about $200 billion each year—a cumbersome price to pay for a completely remediable situation.

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Amidst these depressing realities, one fact raises hopes:

Every dollar spent on adult illiteracy yields $7.14 in societal returns — whether through increased revenues or decreased expenditures.

With these premise, many philanthropists have opted to invest on building the country’s literacy. Many individuals, such as John Wood and Alex von Furstenberg, and corporations, like JP Morgan Chase and Bloomberg, have tried contributing to the pitch in efforts to finally put an end to illiteracy.

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The fight against illiteracy is not just a case of being able to rise past the “no read, no write” status, but of breaking free from the bondage of ignorance and being able to live life to the fullest.

Business maven Alex von Furstenberg is a philanthropist who backs over 60 charitable institutions. Learn more about his philanthropic endeavors by logging on to AlexVonFurstenberg.com.

Family philanthropy: Binding families together

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Forbes asserts that involving children and grandchildren in philanthropic activities is a great way to prepare the younger generations about responsibility and financial independence in the name of generosity.

More importantly, this is also a way of strengthening the ties among families by learning the lessons and experiences of notable family philanthropists, such as David Rubenstein, Pierre Omidyar, and Alex von Furstenberg. These notable givers, together with their families, have become successful in their endeavor of making a huge impact on others.

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There is no match to the fulfillment of working together as a family and helping others in need. For starters, how do they teach their children about giving? No matter how overwhelming the choices and responsibilities are, they must start somehow, somewhere. Here are a few steps to begin with:

1. Adding fun to giving. All members of the family get to choose their own charities. Generally, children would pick animal- and children-based organizations, and adults will have to respect their children’s choice at all cost.

2. Having a budget. When money is involved, the family has to think of ways on how to earn it and schedule a budget for such purpose. Injecting the sense of commitment plays a major role for success.

3. Giving something that they own. Family members could select even one item that they own or cherish. This makes sense of the concept of giving and puts things in perspective.

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