Wednesday Wisdom: Philanthropic Endeavors
Wednesday Wisdom, Wednesday Morning, Inspiration, Motivation for Women Entrepreneurs, Female Business Owners
In the coolness of my garage when I was ten years old, I gathered a community of neighbors for a real treat – a play produced by my sister, one other neighborhood friend, and me. My mother had theater sets we could use so we created a play from scratch and booked ourselves as the director and stars. We knocked on neighbors’ doors asking them to attend. We created a menu of Jell-O and milk, set up chairs on the driveway, and waited for our crowd to arrive.
Pleasantly surprised we were delighted when everyone showed up and we performed our play, handing out our snacks after the big round of applause. It was the first community activity I dreamed up and acted on. Somehow the gig landed me a permanent babysitting job four years later from a neighbor who attended.
I never became a director or actress but I did learn at that age how to envision, create, market, sell, perform, and thank others. Many of those people later wrote references for other jobs and college applications for me, mostly I believe from that one decision to produce a play for them one hot summer day. Giving back to people I knew, felt right.
My philanthropic spirit continued as I became a young businesswoman and entrepreneur. I was always willing to give back in some way with my time and talent to causes that moved me in my community, like participating in the first AIDS Committees at SUNY Oswego in 1987, becoming PR Co-Chair for the Junior League of Syracuse, and providing business advice numerous non-profit boards. I am sure you have a long list too.
As entrepreneurs, it is smart business to be generous in our dealings within our communities or industries. Giving back civically can enhance our reputation, raise brand awareness, create positive relationships, attract customers or staff, and intrinsically change a collective future.
Today’s Wednesday Wisdom is meant to motivate you to re-engage with your community or within your industry and give back. The pandemic isolated many of us and non-profits were dramatically affected. 2023 is the year to choose community service projects to get involved in. Incorporate your staff and customers for a larger impact. See what moves your heart and your purse strings and at least reach out to 1 or 2 organizations and gather information to get more involved.
If you need some inspiration join us in Rochester on May 9th to hear how one businesswoman (pictured above) went beyond her comfort zone traveling to another country to see exactly where her donations were being used, and in the end, building a house for a needy family in the heart of her industry’s country.
Remember our collective future relies on our generosity and example.
Women TIES 