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Local Philanthropy Headlines
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"Be a Philanthropist Every Day"
Baltimore Business Journal
November 16, 2004
Joanna Sullivan
The Business Journal staff members took to the streets last week to introduce some more workers downtown to our paper. We wore old-fashioned paperboy bags and BBJ T-shirts and handed out hundreds of free papers.
The reaction was generally positive. Many people were happy to get their own copy for a change, instead of waiting for the boss' hand-me-downs. Others politely declined, their hands already juggling bags, coffee cups and coats.
Then there were the wary who wanted nothing to do with us. It's hard to blame them. Someone walking toward you with their hand outstretched, whether it has a free newspaper or not, makes you put your guard up. You just want to be left alone.
Nonprofits are facing that same kind of wariness as they try to solicit funds from an increasingly skeptical population. But nonprofits are getting smarter in how they go after dollars. They're learning that the younger generations want to be more involved in the charities they support.
Just writing a check isn't enough for them. It's an encouraging trend and one that is visible in the pages of our special pullout section -- Corporate Citizenship -- in this week's edition.
Many area companies are making giving accessible by enabling their employees to spend their time doing what they love to do. Perhaps wrongly, so much attention goes to the philanthropy of the rich -- the fancy dress balls that raise hundreds of thousands of dollars or the million-dollar donation toward a new hospital wing.
Giving almost seems like something you have to wait to do until "you've made it." But Robert W. Cradle, a barber who started a foundation to help the poor become better groomed, says he believes everyone -- rich and poor -- has the ability to be a good giver.
Cradle is working to educate the not so wealthy, and in particular the small businessperson, that giving isn't just for those who can afford the big donation. He's trying to make it a practical, everyday effort. This man is definitely leading by example.
Cradle, the founder of Rob's Barbershop Community Foundation, used his talent for cutting hair as a way to help those who cannot afford a haircut. The foundation, started in 2001, raises money and toiletries for missions, churches and needy families throughout the Baltimore area.
"One thing I was hoping to do was to be a model or inspiration for other small businesses," he said. "The upper-middle class and wealthy people do a lot of charitable things. We can do some philanthropy efforts on our own." Cradle said he started out by asking customers to donate a dollar or two toward a free haircut fund.
The money added up and soon Cradle's organization grew. He sold the barbershop and now works full-time for the foundation and consults businesses on giving. He says businesses don't have to start their own charities to give. Instead, they can use the talents and resources of their customers to fuel their charitable efforts.
He said the publicity gained by such good deeds makes up for lost profits. "Everybody has something to give," said Cradle, an Odenton resident. "By pooling money together, they can make an impact." Cradle said he learned about pooling resources from the poor. He said every day he sees incredible examples of the very poor helping each other by combining their resources and precious cash.
"The poor are the best philanthropists in the world," he said. "They don't have a lot. But when they sacrifice, it's tremendous." Cradle's latest project is trying to help 12 low-income teenagers learn to groom themselves and their younger siblings.
The Annie E. Casey Foundation granted the organization $30,000 for the initiative, which supplies toiletries and training for the students twice a month. It may not be the kind of project that grabs the headlines.
But the impact on these young people -- some who live without running water and electricity -- will likely last a lifetime.
Joanna Sullivan, editor of the Business Journal, can be reached at jsullivan@bizjournals.com.
Other archived articles from Local Philanthropy Headlines:
"Wealthy Families Set Up New Foundations in Baltimore"
"Foundation's ex-leader defends $1 million salary"
"Culture, business seek agenda for Baltimore"
"Rescuing the Past"
"Abell Foundation Study Critical of Academic Progress at BCCC"
"Changes Pervade Area on Rebound"
"How Do We Know Our City is Improving?"
"A Chain - Letter Reaction: "34 million friends" drive raises $2-million in overseas aid"
B'MORE and Mikulski
"More Wealth to Share"
"CareFirst Fat Grants Help Agencies Promote Health"
"The B'MORE Fund and the Change Fund"
"A Professional Advisor's Guide to Working with Non-Profit Organizations"
"Ad Campaign: Leave D.C., Move to Cheaper Baltimore
"Hunt Valley Game Maker Sensationally Good to Workers"
"Big but Not Easy: As Donors Set Terms, Some Charities Resist"
"Those Bake Sales Add Up, to $9 Billion or So"
"Turning a Traditional Time to Get Into a Lesson in Giving"
2004 Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Fellows Program
"Gentrification on their Minds"
"An Emerging Philanthropic Trend: The Giving Circle"
"Multiyear Contracts Help Foundations"
"Maryland Stems Charitable Drop"
"Maryland Foundations"
"Jewish Group Creates City Housing Fund"
"Women's Charitable Giving Exceeds Men's, Study Shows"
"As 'Donor Fatigue' Spreads, Nonprofits are Focusing on Showing Better Results"
"What Women Want"
"A New Way to Curb Poverty"
"Baltimore City Tries Cultivating Young Entrepreneurs"
"Philanthropy Should Have Glass Pockets"
"The Consummate Leader"
"Powerful Response To Disaster"
"Ravens Donate 15K to Tsunami Victims"
"Baltimore's Loss: HQ's go Elsewhere"
"A Family That Pays Together"
"The Women's Giving Circle of Howard County"
"How Do We Know Our City is Becoming Cleaner Over Time?"
"Nonprofit Staying Power"
"Charity's New Look"
"Be a Philanthropist Every Day"
"Americans Donate In Ways Old and New To Disaster's Victims"
"Bank of America Donates Up to $450,000 to Baltimore Neighborhood Organizations"
"Family Foundations Set Example for Children's Giving"
"Pinpointing the Progress" - Vital Signs II
"Md. Nonprofit Group to Take Innovative Accountability Program National "
"Jewish groups seek to raise $100 million"
"City Can Count on Them"
"Bank of America Donates $1.5 Million for Tsunami Relief"
"Long, Long' Wait in East Baltimore Ends"
"Biz Eye for Nonprofit Guy"
"Charitable Giving - Local Foundations Show Support for Baltimore School System "
"Nonprofit Growth Creates Quandary"
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