Feature

Looking for hope

Locally and worldwide, children seek help. With members’ support, the Kiwanis International Foundation empowers clubs to answer their pleas

By Jay Stuller

Kiwanis Village, established by the Kiwanis Club of San Salvador-El Salvador del Mundo with Kiwanis International Foundation assistance, protects this young child and hundreds of families displaced by a 2001 earthquake.

Foundation honors Kiwanis recognizes several categories of donors, starting with Benefactors, who cumulatively have given $5,000 or more, and Honored Benefactors, who give cumulative gifts of $10,000 or more. Those in the Founders Circle are recognized for donating $25,000 or more, while anyone who has given or pledged $1 million or more is considered an Elite Eagle. The Heritage Society is open to members who include KIF in an estate plan or make another type of planned gift.

Whenever a child is born in Florence, a small Alabama city set against the banks of the Tennessee River, the parents are sent home with their newborn and a DVD titled Baby’s First Month. Funded by the Kiwanis Club of Florence through a 2008 Kiwanis International Foundation (KIF) grant, the film frankly addresses the often baffling transitional situations faced by first-time parents. After all, how many new parents are truly warned about nonstop crying and colic, much less coping with the attendant frustration and the nuances of infant safety?

Meanwhile, through another recent foundation grant, the Kiwanis Club of Hanover, Pennsylvania, has increased its ability to ship a variety of medicines to treat roughly 9,000 children in Bulgarian orphanages. For more than 15 years this program has been supported through donations from Hanover-area hospitals, doctors, and individuals. The vaccines and antibiotics significantly lowered the death rate among these Eastern European orphans.

Crossing borders

Kiwanis International has long been characterized by the volunteer services of its members, most often concentrated on a variety a local community issues and needs. Today, many individual clubs—and the organization in general—are seeking to make a positive impact beyond communities and even national borders. Much of the effort is centered on serving the children of the world, through efforts that require both volunteers and money.

“Powerful forces are reshaping the landscape of children’s issues,” says John Sloan, executive director of the Kiwanis International Foundation, the fundraising and grant-making arm of Kiwanis International.

“Improving the quality of life for children around the world is, of course, our priority and mission. But to do so in areas such as youth leadership initiatives, education projects, and the ideas generated by districts and clubs requires financial support.

Consequently, we’ve recognized a clear need to put more effort into raising these vital funds.”

Established in 1939, the Kiwanis International Foundation has evolved into a multimillion dollar institution that provides grants to literally thousands of organizations and causes around the globe. Grants are awarded to Kiwanis district and club programs, as well as leadership initiatives associated with Key Club, Circle K, and Key Leader. The foundation is an institution that puts money behind Kiwanis volunteers.

Giving helps

As the requests for grants have grown to unprecedented proportions, the landscape of charitable giving has changed dramatically. While the term “millionaire” once conjured images of a Rockefeller, stately yachts, and stretch limousines, individuals with a net worth in excess of $1 million are increasingly common.

According to a recent CapGemini and Merrill Lynch World Wealth Report, North America alone holds some 3 million people with a net worth of $1 million or more, excluding the value of their house. There are another 3 million in Europe and some 2.5 million in the Asia Pacific region. Worldwide, approximately 9 million individuals are considered millionaires.

Since people are living longer than in decades past, a growing number of affluent seniors are watching their children mature and prosper, to the point where the kids clearly don’t need every dollar of a potential inheritance.

“This is a dynamic that fundamentally changes how people view the disposition of their estate,” says Steve Thomas, the foundation’s director of development. “You don’t have to be a Bill Gates or Warren Buffet to make an impact and still leave something for your adult children.”

For an organization such as KIF, planned gifts—be it from a trust, retirement plan, life insurance, or a will—are at the pinnacle of what in the fundraising world is known as the “donor pyramid.” The competition for estate-type donations is particularly strong among universities, medical centers, and other high-profile institutions.

Every gift counts Of course, the base of the pyramid is fundamental and critical to any charity. “The small annual donations are essential,” John says. “They provide a measure of predictability and confidence in what we can fund.”

Major giving is the middle of the pyramid. These larger gifts may involve cash, appreciated stock, and real estate and enable the organization to better prioritize future needs. Even larger planned gifts, in turn, often fund long-term programs, perpetuating the impact of the gift and the legacy of the contributor.

“There is a countless number of organizations seeking contributions for highly worthy causes—for conservation efforts, to fight a disease, or to construct a new library,” observes John. “In truth, most every cause has a natural audience and built-in constituency, especially among those people who have been personally and deeply touched by an experience.

“It’s then up to the fundraiser,” John adds, “to remind potential contributors of that connection and invite them to participate.”

That, in essence, is what the Kiwanis International Foundation strives to accomplish. Since many Kiwanis members have spent a lifetime involved in service to a club and its community, they are acutely aware of what a volunteer can do when backed with financial resources. And few potential donors to any cause have more direct contact and firsthand experience with the positive outcomes of a program than do Kiwanians.

“In the big scheme of philanthropy, the Kiwanis International Foundation is relatively small,” concludes John, “but in a partnership that unites the foundation with Kiwanis International, districts, clubs, and members, we make a big difference.”