To live a philanthropic or giving life doesn’t mean you aren’t fun. It doesn’t mean you give large swaths of your income to charity. It doesn’t mean it’s all you talk about. It doesn’t mean that’s all you’re interested in.
What it means to be a philanthropist in this world needs a makeover. Philanthropy needs a fresh new persona.
A philanthropist isn’t a stuffy or flat person without personality. They can be the life of the party making jokes. They can be a person with vices like the rest of us: too much junk food, alcohol, tv, or too little exercise, veggies, etc.
The point is just because you’re philanthropic doesn’t mean it overshadows the rest of your life. It is a component of your life and a piece of you. And there are a whole lot of pieces of you.
In recent years there has been pushback from some mother’s that want people to realize/remember they are still the same badass human beings they were before they had children. That yes, they are mothers now with all the joys and responsibilities of the role but they still want to be seen much as they were before having children. They understand their mother role is important but its not their entirety.
This same idea is true of the philanthropist. People are multi-faceted. People who give are no exception. Their giving self is simply a piece of who they are.
So if you’re a philanthropist “in the closet” come out. Join the rest of us and help show the world that philanthropists are some of the best people you could ever invite to a party.
