It’s that time of year when we rack our minds to recall, imagine, or anticipate the ‘perfect’ gift. Whether that perfect gift is for a holiday party, for Christmas, for Hanukkah – it just is, unrelentingly, ‘that’ time of year.

Trying to answer why we give is perhaps more complicated. We may give because there is an expectation, arguably enforced upon us by the commercial world in which we live and struggle to escape or hide from; we may give because we feel obliged to do so; but most of all, I’d like to think most of us give because we want to demonstrate our love and appreciation towards our family and our community.

Gift giving does not, of course, have to be a physical or monetary gesture. A gift can be an act of altruism and at ÓÅÃÛÊÓƵ, there are many acts of altruism performed daily. My fabulous co-workers help each other with everything and anything daily; Academy teachers give their time and energy in so many ways beyond anything written in an ÓÅÃÛÊÓƵ Letter of Agreement; our volunteers turn in to the office regularly and assist us with all manner of tasks; and our parents act with enormous help and initiative during class and in between sessions by recommending us and keeping us growing. These manifold acts are both similar to and different from what we might understand as philanthropy but they are, nonetheless, real gifts upon which a small not-for-profit organization depends.

And recent evidence suggests that here in the U.S., despite the near recent global downturn, we are even more compelled to give than ever before; as exemplified by the significant growth in educational not-for-profit organizations. A 2012 report from the Urban Institute states that, ‘over the past 10 years, the number of non-profits registered with the IRS has grown 24%, with educational organizations standing second highest’ in growth, controlling 18% of the market (Blackwood et al 2012: 3). Education’s assets increased from $145.4 billion in 2000 to $300.8 billion by 2010. Add in the 35% in grant-making foundations since 2000, and these all signal significant demand (Blackwood et al 2012: 5).

American society wants to give, American families want educational choice, and mixed together, we are seeing a rapid expansion in what has become known by educational commentators as ‘New Philanthropy’ (Ball 2010) and a concurrent shift in the ways in which society now thinks about education. Within this emerging landscape of ‘giving’, Ball argues that what is now is a more ‘direct relation of “giving” to policy and a more “hands-on” approach to the use of donations.’ This ‘New Philanthropy’, assumes a more proactive role in policy, as well as an expectation to demonstrate, through evidence that ‘good’ work is effective in remedying educational problems. In sum, ‘giving’ in this context is altruistic on a grand scale; it may be politically driven but it is still bound by the drive to improve life chances, because of and sustained by philanthropy’s historical relationship to ‘goodness’ and ‘benevolence’ (Srivastava and Oh, 2010).

With so many choices for whom we may give to – why give to the gifted? Aren’t they already advantaged by their intellectual predispositions? Well, as you may know, gifted children are severely lacking in any direct allocation of resources in our public schools. In the United States, gifted students comprise approximately 6-10% of the total student population, or about three to five million students (National Association of Gifted Children). Extrapolating from the most conservative of these estimates and the most recent census data, this means that there are more than 100,000 high-ability students ages 6 to 17 in Los Angeles County alone.

Like all young people, these children deserve and require nourishment through education, as well as through relationships with accepting peers. To flourish, gifted children often require extra support such as an advanced, intensified, accelerated education (Fosters & Matthews, 2005); access to mentors willing to help grow talents and depth of creativity (Gallagher, 1985); and a learning community comprised of other gifted individuals with whom they can connect (Delisle, 2014).

Gifted youth who do not have access to these forms of support are vulnerable to depression, anxiety, alienation, boredom, frustration, and social-emotional developmental problems (Davidson, 2004). As a result, gifted children are at risk for poor life outcomes. Research demonstrates, for example, that boredom is among the top reasons that young people drop out of school (Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, 2006), while depression is a leading cause of failure in school and in life (Weinberg, Harper et al, Secondary Education and Beyond). Meanwhile, current educational policies focus resources for special needs almost exclusively on remediation for students who are falling behind — failing to support the needs of gifted students (Finn and Sousa, 2014). In the absence of a federal mandate to support highly able young people, it is left up to each state — and often each local school district — to set policy regarding funding for gifted education. However, California is one of 15 states that does not mandate gifted educational services (Davidson Institute). As a result, a growing number of high-ability students in our region and beyond lack access to the support they need to achieve their potential.

Clearly, gifted children need resources and so do their parents: Parents, it is argued, are increasingly appalled by the impact of policy and its by-products of ‘rote learning and teaching to the test’ (Baltodano 2012: 490). Cooper and Sureau (2007) see ‘dissatisfaction’. The latter’s formative study of the home-schooling movement analyzed why more than 1.35 million children in the U.S are now home-schooled, and they identified dissatisfaction with ‘the poor academic performance of students’ as a significant driving force for the significant growth in home-schooling of children (2007:113). But, to make choices and find an alternative as a parent, one depends on resources – human and financial. Parents who are able to provide assistance by themselves in the early years need more once their gifted child’s ‘rage to master’ (Winner, 1996) sets in.

Resources are necessary to nurture the gifts of our children with high potential. Without help, these gifts will remain undeveloped. As Amanda Ripley pointed out in her book, The Smartest Kids in the World and How They Got that Way, intellectual ‘boredom is the specter that haunts children from kindergarten to graduation…engaged kids don’t notice you; bored kids do.’ In addition, if you are a gifted, low-income child, the future landscape is even more bleak: Despite scholarships, the differential economic resources available to parents over time forge a divide between the assistance children of middle-upper parents receive as opposed to the less financially privileged.

Long term trends do suggest that gift-giving, ‘New Philanthropy’, is here to stay (Hentschke 2007: 298); but the act of giving to the gifted remains undernourished. ÓÅÃÛÊÓƵ, like many other not-for-profit organizations, strives to equitably improve life chances of under-served populations. We know that being gifted is, and should be recognized as, a gift, but gifted children also need gifts to support their future and our country’s future. I’ll be making my donation to ÓÅÃÛÊÓƵ as a gift to this future – and I hope you will join me.

ÓÅÃÛÊÓƵ held its annual fundraiser Thursday night, and we were thrilled with the event. It was a great success! Nita Millstein, the owner of The Peach Café in Monrovia, California, generously donated the space for our event, which included a plated dinner and silent auction. Among the attendees were ÓÅÃÛÊÓƵ Board Members Ken Merchant, Jeff Hudson, Donna Ford and Jonathan Shintaku. The entire ÓÅÃÛÊÓƵ Staff attended as did many parents of program participants. Through the silent auction alone, we raised over $2,000, with items donated entirely by the ÓÅÃÛÊÓƵ staff. We are also pleased to announce that 100% of the auction proceeds will go directly towards supporting the children and families we serve.

The feedback and support we received on Thursday reaffirmed our belief that ÓÅÃÛÊÓƵ’s dedication to creating programs honoring and nurturing the whole gifted child is valuable and important to many people. To further demonstrate this fact, 100% of the ÓÅÃÛÊÓƵ staff had contributed a monetary gift to ÓÅÃÛÊÓƵ before the end of October, and 100% of the ÓÅÃÛÊÓƵ Board has contributed, as well.

When looking at donor trends as reported by , we see that, on average, most donors intend to give roughly the same amounts in 2012 as they did in 2011. However, those donors who reported that they expect to give less than they did in 2011 expect to give significantly less in 2012, while those donors who anticipate contributing more generously than they did last year only expect to give slightly more in 2012.

What does this mean for ÓÅÃÛÊÓƵ? It means that we are relying on a greater number of donors giving small amounts to help the kids we serve in the same way that a few donors giving larger amounts can. No gift is too small. Every gift matters.

This leads us to consider: Why do people give? What compels a person to donate and to donate to a specific organization? ÓÅÃÛÊÓƵ believes in giving back to our community and encourages the staff to support charities including, but not limited to, ÓÅÃÛÊÓƵ. For example, we are collecting canned goods for the local senior services center in South Pasadena, a project started by our own Kate Williams.

Here are just a few of the reasons why I give, personally (in no particular order):

1. To show my support for a friend or an organization I believe in.

Many of my friends work with projects that provide a great service to the community. This can range from arts/culture/humanities to animal rescues to human services-based programs. I enjoy supporting the work of my friends by contributing to these causes.

Of course, I don’t think I’ve ever given a donation to an organization that didn’t ask. Often, I will be searching for information on a website and there will be a request for financial gifts or in-kind donations directly on the page. While no one called and asked me specifically to give, seeing the organization’s need sparks my altruistic intentions.

2. To help change the world or to give others a chance that I didn’t have.

Many contributors want to feel like they are helping to change someone’s life. Many of the organizations they give to provide programs that focus on helping individuals take care of themselves, such as Heifer International or the Boys and Girls Club of America.

3. Wanting to be connected to a community – to be part of the crowd.

Schools often employ this with their alumni programs. At ÓÅÃÛÊÓƵ, we encourage a friendly spirit of competition among our programs and encourage parents from each of our programs to give. In some cases, the alumni have even set up contests to see which class can contribute the most! It is all in good fun and supports a worthy cause.

4. Feeling fortunate or guilty.

Sometimes people give because they feel a wealth and want to share with others less fortunate or just to demonstrate gratitude for something beneficial. I feel this way when visiting museums or the Botanic Gardens. Other times, as in the cases of food drives, I want others to have what I have.

But sometimes, I feel powerless to undo a past wrong and want to make up for it somehow. Once, I ran over a raccoon. It was dark; it was raining; and I didn’t see it. I felt horrible! When I got home, I researched what to do in case of an animal emergency and the Greenwood Nature Center of Colorado had a list of what to do. I sent a donation to Greenwood in memory of Rocky Raccoon. I couldn’t undo the past, and I don’t believe money will buy me peace of mind, but I do feel that I am making a difference to other animals, even if I couldn’t help that one.

5. Tax write-offs.

Yes, this is a major motivating factor for some and is one reason many gifts are received at year end. Another reason is that the holidays inspire giving. For me, sometimes I just forget to give until the last minute. : p

Whatever your motivations for giving, this is the perfect time to support and donate to worthy causes, especially if you feel that they provide value to your day—or to the day of others. To contribute to ÓÅÃÛÊÓƵ, please visit our website.

Why do you give? Please share with us in the comment section below.

Like this post? Please share!