Make It Better Guide To Giving 2015

Jewelry available through Shop for Good Courtesy of Burdeen’s Gingerbread House Courtesy of Jewell Events Catering

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G U I D E TO G I V I N G 2 0 1 5

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Publisher & Co-CEO Susan B. Noyes

Letter from our Founder

Profile: Chicago Botanic Garden

Co-CEO Mindy Fauntleroy Editor in Chief Genevieve Lill Associate Publisher Michelle Morris

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Art Director Lesley Simon Designer January Thomas

ADVERTISING Ad Sales Manager Megan Holbrook

Warming Hearts and Hands

Make It Better Philanthropy Awards

Senior Account Executives Patti Augustyn Julie Carter Account Executive Denise Borkowski

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MAKE IT BETTER FOUNDATION Contributing Writers Maura Flaherty Sharon Krone

Make It Better Profile: North Shore Senior Center

Epicenter of Philanthropy

588 Lincoln Ave. Winnetka, IL 60093 | 847-256-4642 GOT FEEDBACK? E-mail susan@makeitbetter.net

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TO ADVERTISE: Contact michellemorris@makeitbetter.net

Carrying forward the best of

TED Talks

magazine MISSION STATEMENT The mission of Make It Better is to be the most-trusted, easiest-to-use community resource and magazine that helps you make your life, and the lives of others, better.

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2014 Philanthropy Award winners, Crushers Club

HAPPY HOLIDAYS,

HAPPY GIVING GREETINGS. AND THANK YOU FOR your valuable attention.

As you probably know, Make It Better’s mission is to be your most trusted, easiest-to-use community resource, helping you improve your life and the lives of others by connecting you to businesses and the carefully vetted nonprofits we support.

The Gift Guide on the flip side of this magazine makes it easier for you to find the perfect gifts for family and friends. This Guide To Giving will help you to give to those in greatest need and ensure that your gift will have maximum impact.

To see 100% of your donation go directly to worthy recipients, consider supporting the winners of Make It Better’s 2015 Philanthropy Awards, p.10, announced Nov. 16, and our “Warming Hearts & Hands” program, p.8.

“Warming Hearts & Hands,” gives new winter outerwear to the homeless. This program is par-

ticularly dear to me because it developed out of a request made by my son after we had dropped off items to a homeless shelter and food kitchen on Christmas Eve: “That felt great. I’ll enjoy my own presents more now. Can we please do this with the whole family next year?”

Make It Better has worked with every nonprofit highlighted in this guide and proudly recommends supporting all of them. We love being the connector and growing support for worthwhile causes. If you have any nonprofits you recommend too, please tell us about them.

In the meantime, we’re thankful for you and wish you happy, healthy holidays full of family, friends and the joy of giving to others.

Susan B. Noyes susan@makeitbetter.net

$$ RAISED FOR NOT-FOR-PROFITS : $4,351,302.43

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Contact James Boudreau at jboudreau@chicagobotanic.org or visit chicagobotanic.org

WITH ITS NEW REGENSTEIN FOUNDA-

PHOTO COURTESY OF CHICAGO BOTANIC GARDEN

TION LEARNING CAMPUS, the Chicago

Botanic Garden will create a beautiful and engaging learning environment for students from young children through adults. The new Education Center will use a nature lab and an exploratory garden as well as traditional classrooms to create excitement and curiosity about the natural world. In September 2016, the Garden will also launch an innovative nature preschool.

The Campus will serve students of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds, providing dynamic programming

CHICAGO BOTANIC GARDEN Regenstein Foundation Learning Campus Opens Fall 2016 for preK through Ph.D. The Education Center, based on the community school concept and developed with universal design principles, will encompass learning and wellness activities for children and adults in formal and informal settings. It will serve 23,000 field-trip students and teachers; more than 600 educators attending professional development programs;

1,400 campers at Camp CBG; and more than 1,100 Scouts. An additional 90,000 young people will participate in recreational and informal educational programs that are part of Garden events and drop-in programs.

The Regenstein Foundation Learning Campus reinforces the Chicago Botanic Garden’s position as one of the nation’s finest teaching gardens.

We cultivate the power of plants to sustain and enrich life.

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Items being distributed to those in need

Make It Better staff collecting donations

PLEASE GIVE THE GIFT OF

WINTER WARMTH B Y T H E M A K E I T B E T T E R F O U N D AT I O N

Please join us to give the gift of new blankets or winter outerwear— coats, hats, mittens, scarfs— to homeless and underserved families. We make it easy for you by operating a 100% efficient donation and distribution program known as “Warming Hearts and Hands.”* Donate at makeitbetter.net/foundation/warming-hearts-hands and we spend 100% of it on deeply discounted items.

We gladly receive unused or handmade: • Coats • Hats • Gloves • Scarves • Blankets

In the past we’ve distributed them at no cost to: • Family Empowerment Centers • Lydia Home • Lake County Haven • Chance Ministries • San Jose Obrero Mission • Many more on makeitbetter.net/warminghearts

For more information, please contact us at: Sharon Krone Make It Better Foundation 847-256-4642 Sharon@makeitbetter.net

DONATE HANDMADE OR UNUSED ITEMS AT ANY OF THESE COLLECTION POINTS: Make It Better 588 Lincoln Ave. Winnetka, IL 60093 (847) 256-4642 Monday–Friday, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.

Volunteer Center 520 Glendale Ave. Winnetka, IL 60093 (847) 441-7665 9 a.m.–4 p.m.

*Warming Hearts & Hands started as a volunteer effort in 2006 in partnership with The Volunteer Center. It's grown to become a 501c3 program through the Make It Better Foundation. Learn more at makeitbetter.net /warminghearts

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wilmette theatre TAKE A SEAT AND SEE SOMETHING DIFFERENT at the Wilmette Theatre! Thanks to a generous donation by the Jerome Mirza Foundation, the theatre is launching a much-needed seat replacement campaign. Our patrons tell us they love our programming but our 40 year old seats have lost their oomph. The Wilmette Theatre’s TAKE A SEAT campaign is a special initiative to get new comfortable seats. Your gift will be recognized on a special plaque in the theatre’s lobby and you will receive special rewards.

For more information, contact 847.251.7424 wilmettetheatre.com info@wilmettetheatre.com 1122 Central Ave., Wilmette, IL 60091

Proud Sponsors

Donate today: wilmettetheatre.com

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entrepreneurs as judges and sponsors of the awards (similar to the Academy of Judges for the Oscars) and to provide rocket-fuel support for the nonprofits they select.

Each year, in honor of National Philanthropy Day, we announce the winners with a live-blogged roadshow as we surprise winners with the good news. Please watch this year on November 16 through your social network.

PHILANTHROPY AWARDS CATEGORIES AND SPONSORS

FOLLOW OUR LIVE TWEETED

PHILANTHROPY AWARDS

ON MONDAY, NOVEMBER 16

BY N A N C Y S E A R L E , P R E S I D E N T, M I B F

Every child deserves a good education, a safe, loving home and adequate health care. Every adult honestly trying to overcome difficulties and succeed in life does too. Many Americans believe this and want to help. They pay their blessings forward by starting or supporting nonprofits which help to accomplish these bold goals.

We love to identify, elevate and amplify nonprofits demonstrating best practices—as well as create connections and opportunities for collaboration. The more funders and effective nonprofits learn from and help each other, the faster every child and well-intentioned adult gets the help they deserve.

We started the Make It Better Foundation and our Philanthropy Awards to grow a network of venture philanthropists and social

Health and Wellness:

Nancy Searle

Education:

Dolores Kohl

Human Services/Empowerment: Social Justice: Arts:

Shirley and Pat Ryan

Dennis and Ann Fitzsimmons Dick and Sue Kiphart

Human Services/ Veterans Care/Social Services John and Fran Edwardson We notify winners with surprise, live-blogged visits in honor of National Philanthropy Day. Prizes include the December Shop For Good proceeds and the highest quality fundraising and friend-raising tools including: Professionally produced TV quality videos Significant coverage in Make It Better magazine – Print & Online Oscar Style Celebration Party Networking Opportunities Training in best digital and other marketing practices To learn more about our Philanthropy Awards, please contact: Sharon Krone Make It Better Foundation 847-256-4642 | Sharon@makeitbetter.net

Follow our live tweeted winner announcement Monday, November 16th Check out last years winners video at MAKEITBETTER.NET/2014PHILAWARDS

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North Shore Senior Center With thoughts of holiday packages and parties looming large, North Shore Senior Center asks that its friends and neighbors keep the needs of low-income older adults in mind as well.

Just before Thanksgiving, North Shore Senior Center’s holiday Giving Tree will be decorated with individual gift tags, each one bearing a holiday-wish item for a senior in need. People can choose a tag (or tags) from the tree, and purchase gifts for the seniors, who are identified by first name only. Modest items such as postage stamps, sweaters, warm blankets, magnifiers for reading, or grocery store gift cards are common among Giving Tree wish requests.

All wrapped Giving Tree gift donations can be dropped off at the North Shore Senior Center’s administrative offices in Northfield, by Monday, December 7, and will be hand-delivered to the people who wished for them.

To learn more about how you can help support The Giving Tree program, call 847-784-6000 Weekdays from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

161 Northfield Road Northfield, IL 60093 www.nssc.org

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Trust CEO Terry Mazany congratulating Catalyst Chicago on 25 years and honoring publisher Linda Lenz!

Terry Mazany, President and CEO of the Chicago Community Trust

Chicago households not only donate a higher percentage of income, they volunteer a greater percentage of time. On average, those with high household incomes (above $200,000) volunteer the most and give more money. The data shows that Chicago corporations and foundations are exceptionally generous, too. For instance, 97 percent (68 out of 70) of the corporations who responded to the survey donate dollars, talent and employee hours.

Importantly, the data provides hard evidence that Chicagoans care a lot about each other. As Daniel Ash, trust director of marketing, explains, “Basic Human Needs is one of the highest giving categories in Chicago. This illustrates that Chicagoans take care of one another and this is something we should all be proud of!”

CHICAGO COMMUNITY TRUST STUDY SHOWS THAT CHICAGO IS THE MOST PHILANTHROPIC CITY IN AMERICA

BY SUSAN B . NOYE S

We’ve long known that Chicago and its surrounding suburbs make up a very generous, other-centered, philanthropic community.

But now—thanks to a survey conducted by Indiana University’s Lilly School of Philanthropy on behalf of The Chicago Community Trust—we know that our community is at the national epicenter of philanthropy. No hyperbole.

“Chicagoans are generous—significantly more generous than the national average—by some measures as much as 50 percent more,” Terry Mazany, president and CEO of the Trust, says. For example, average household giving in the rest of the country is 2 percent of income. In Chicago, it is 3.1 percent.

In advance of its 100th anniversary this year, the Trust commissioned the study to benchmark the giving of time, talent and money in Chicago’s six-county region. It hoped to use this information to make Chicago the most philanthropic region in the country.

What the study proved, however, is that Chicago is already the most philanthropic region in the country.

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Household giving—top categories receiving donations as reported by high-net-worth households/all other income households: • 78 percent / 72 percent basic human needs • 60 percent / 44 percent health • 57 percent / 60 percent religious purposes • 53 percent / 36 percent combined purposes • 50 percent / 15 percent higher education • 42 percent / 28 percent youth and family services • 40 percent / 26 percent education • 36 percent / 19 percent arts & culture • 26 percent / 21 percent international aid Household Volunteering: • 74 percent of Chicago high-net-worth households volunteer • 47 percent of all other Chicago households volunteer Grantmaking by foundations, corporations and others in 2012: •2 ,038 grantmakers gave nearly 39,000 grants of $4000 or more, totaling $2.6 billion • 107 grants over $1 million were given, totaling $328 million • 1 grant was over $40 million Top non-corporate foundation grantmakers were: Chicago Community Trust $127 million (13 percent) United Way $33 million (3 percent) MacArthur Foundation $30 million (3 percent)

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE CHICAGO COMMUNITY TRUST

EPICENTER OF PHILANTHROPY

SPECIFIC DONATION DATA INCLUDES: • $10 billion was donated in Chicago in 2013 • $7.1 billion (71 percent) was donated by households •$ 2.4 billion (24 percent) was donated by foundations and grantmaking charities (like United Way and JUF) •$ 5 million (5 percent) was donated by corporations and corporate foundations •$ 6.7 billion (67 percent) of that $10 billion stayed in the Chicago metropolitan area

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PHOTO COURTESY OF THE CHICAGO COMMUNITY TRUST

Five corporate foundation grantmakers accounted for 70 percent of corporate foundation giving: 1. Abbott Fund (40 percent) 2. The Allstate Foundation 3. Motorola Solutions Foundation 4. Illinois Tool Works Foundation 5. Grand Victoria Foundation Not surprisingly, online giving grew astronomically in the past decade. In 2013, more than 70 percent of high-net-worth households donated online. Therefore, growing online connections should grow more donations too. The study also noted other tools that can help improve future donations. These include improved effectiveness and efficiency reporting, better communications of community needs, and better collaboration to leverage resources.

FOLLOW OUR LIVE TWEETED

PHILANTHROPY AWARDS ON MONDAY, NOVEMBER 16

These conclusions also demonstrate that Make It Better operates at the epicenter of philanthropy. Our well-educated audience lives online, appreciates the power of collaboration and demands data that proves something is effective, efficient and scalable before investing.

These traits, combined with our Make It Better footprint, put us at the epicenter of impactful philanthropy.

To read more about giving back, visit makeitbetter.net/getinvolved

Check out last years winners video at MAKEITBETTER.NET/2014PHILAWARDS

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2. “SHOULD YOU DONATE DIFFERENTLY?” BY JOY SUN q “Studies across the board show that people use cash transfers to improve their own lives.”

What would happen if we handed the poor of the world cash instead of items we choose for them? Do we really know what is best for the poor? Experienced aid worker Joy Sun explores the surprising results of studies behind cash transfers for the poor.

4 TED TALKS

THAT WILL CHANGE THE WAY YOU THINK ABOUT CHARITY

BY MAUR A FL AHERT Y

Do you ever find yourself sitting at your desk or lying on the living room couch feeling uninspired? Check out TED Talks for a quick burst of motivation. These 15-20 minute videos feature engaging speakers who share innovative ideas, advice and calls to action.

These four talks will make you change the way you think about giving back and taking action.

1. “THE WAY WE THINK ABOUT CHARITY IS DEAD WRONG”

BY DAN PALLOTTA p “We have a visceral reaction to the idea that anyone would make very much money helping other people. Interesting that we don’t have a visceral reaction to the notion that people would make a lot of money not helping other people.”

Dan Pallotta, entrepreneur, author, and activist discusses the stark contrast in the growth of the nonprofit sector compared to the forprofit sector, and why we’ve got it wrong when it comes to the way we think about “successful” nonprofits.

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When Nancy Frates’ 27-year-old son, Pete, was diagnosed with ALS, doctors told him, “I’m sorry, there is no treatment.” Pete told his family he wasn’t going to take “I’m sorry” for an answer. The night that he learned of his diagnosis he vowed he would work to get his rare, deadly disease in front of philanthropists like Bill Gates.

Listen to the story of how he and his family did just that, and raised more than $160 million for ALS research.

DAN PALLOTTA PHOTO BY JAMES DUNCAN DAVIDSON; JOY SUN PHOTO BY RYAN LASH/TED; NANCY FRATES PHOTO BY TEDXBOSTON/SUSAN POUBLON; BRYAN STEVENSON PHOTO BY STEVE JURVETSON

3. “MEET THE MOM WHO STARTED THE ICE BUCKET CHALLENGE” BY NANCY FRATES u “If you ever come across a situation that you find so unacceptable, I want you to dig down as deep as you can and find your best mother bear, and go after it.”

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College Bound Opportunities A college education can change lives and break the cycle of poverty. CBO mentors local students to unleash their potential and empower future leaders.

2033 N Milwaukee Ave., Suite 246 Riverwoods | 847-943-9226 cbo4success.org

DAN PALLOTTA PHOTO BY JAMES DUNCAN DAVIDSON; JOY SUN PHOTO BY RYAN LASH/TED; NANCY FRATES PHOTO BY TEDXBOSTON/SUSAN POUBLON; BRYAN STEVENSON PHOTO BY STEVE JURVETSON

4. “WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT AN INJUSTICE”

BY BRYAN STEVENSON q “We will ultimately not be judged by our technology, our design, or our intellect or reason. Ultimately you judge the character of a society, not by how they treat the rich and the powerful and the privileged but by how they treat the poor, the condemned, the incarcerated.”

Bryan Stevenson, human rights lawyer and executive director of the Human Rights Initiative, recently helped to exonerate a man who was on death row for 30 years. In his TED Talk, Stevenson discusses the need for our society to care more about human rights and human dignity, and our need to marry our ideas surrounding technology, design and innovation with ideas that allow for compassion and justice.

Family Service of Lake County Family Service offers responsive, holistic counseling, senior and caregiver support, and Latino educational and other services. Most programs are available at no out-of-pocket client cost.

777 Central Ave., Suite 17 Highland Park | 847-432-4981

Women’s Health Foundation Women’s Health Foundation’s mission is to improve the pelvic health of all women and girls.

632 W. Deming Place Chicago |312-415-8246 womenshealthfoundation.org

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INTRODUCING

SHOP FOR GOOD

#MIBSHOPFORGOOD Shop outstanding community businesses online and 10% of your purchase will benefit carefully vetted nonprofits.

You want your spending power to do as much good as possible. We make this easy.

MIB SHOP FOR GOOD: THE MORE YOU SHOP, THE MORE GOOD YOU DO.

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