Make It Better Guide To Giving 2015

Jewelry available through Shop for Good Courtesy of Burdeen’sGingerbread House Courtesy of Jewell Events Catering

01_cover.indd 1 10/30/15 1:38 PM

contents G U I D E T O G I V I N G 2 0 1 5

Publisher & Co-CEO Susan B. Noyes

Co-CEO Mindy Fauntleroy

Editor in Chief Genevieve Lill

Associate Publisher Michelle Morris

Art Director Lesley Simon Designer January Thomas

ADVERTISINGAd Sales ManagerMegan Holbrook

Senior Account ExecutivesPatti Augustyn

Julie Carter

Account ExecutiveDenise Borkowski

MAKE IT BETTER FOUNDATION

Contributing Writers Maura Flaherty Sharon Krone

Make It Better588 Lincoln Ave.

Winnetka, IL 60093 | 847-256-4642

GOT FEEDBACK? E-mail [email protected]

TO ADVERTISE: Contact [email protected]

MISSION STATEMENTThe mission of Make It Better is to be the most-trusted, easiest-to-use community resource and magazine that helps you make your life, and the lives of others, better.

Carrying forward the best of

magazine

Letter from our Founder

Epicenter of Philanthropy

TED Talks

4

Profile: North Shore Senior Center

9

Make It Better Philanthropy Awards

8

10

Warming Hearts and Hands

6

Profile: Chicago Botanic Garden

5

12

02_TOC.indd 4 10/30/15 1:39 PM

02_TOC.indd 410/30/15 3:03 PM

4 \\ guide to giving

GREETINGS. AND THANK YOU FOR your valuable attention.

As you probably know, Make It Better’s mis-sion is to be your most trusted, easiest-to-use community resource, helping you improve your life and the lives of others by connecting you to businesses and the carefully vetted nonprofits we support.

The Gift Guide on the flip side of this maga-zine makes it easier for you to find the perfect gifts for family and friends. This Guide To Giving will help you to give to those in greatest need and en-sure that your gift will have maximum impact.

To see 100% of your donation go directly to wor-thy recipients, consider supporting the winners of Make It Better’s 2015 Philanthropy Awards, p.10, announced Nov. 16, and our “Warming Hearts & Hands” program, p.8.

“Warming Hearts & Hands,” gives new winter outerwear to the homeless. This program is par-

ticularly dear to me because it developed out of a request made by my son after we had dropped off items to a homeless shelter and food kitchen on Christmas Eve: “That felt great. I’ll enjoy my own presents more now. Can we please do this with the whole family next year?”

Make It Better has worked with every nonprof-it highlighted in this guide and proudly recom-mends supporting all of them. We love being the connector and growing support for worthwhile causes. If you have any nonprofits you recommend too, please tell us about them.

In the meantime, we’re thankful for you and wish you happy, healthy holidays full of family, friends and the joy of giving to others.

Susan B. [email protected]

$$ RAISED FOR NOT-FOR-PROFITS : $4,351,302.43

HAPPY HOLIDAYS,

HAPPY GIVING

2014 Philanthropy Award winners, Crushers Club

04_Letter.indd 6 10/30/15 1:40 PM

We cultivate the power of plants to sustain and

enrich life.

Contact James Boudreau at [email protected] or visit chicagobotanic.org

WITH ITS NEW REGENSTEIN FOUNDA-TION LEARNING CAMPUS, the Chicago Botanic Garden will create a beautiful and engaging learning environment for students from young children through adults. The new Education Center will use a nature lab and an exploratory gar-den as well as traditional classrooms to create excitement and curiosity about the natural world. In September 2016, the Garden will also launch an innova-tive nature preschool.

The Campus will serve students of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds, providing dynamic programming

for preK through Ph.D. The Educa-tion Center, based on the community school concept and developed with universal design principles, will en-compass learning and wellness activi-ties for children and adults in formal and informal settings. It will serve 23,000 fi eld-trip students and teach-ers; more than 600 educators attending professional development programs;

1,400 campers at Camp CBG; and more than 1,100 Scouts. An additional 90,000 young people will participate in recreational and informal educational programs that are part of Garden events and drop-in programs.

The Regenstein Foundation Learn-ing Campus reinforces the Chicago Botanic Garden’s position as one of the nation’s fi nest teaching gardens.PH

OTO

CO

UR

TES

Y O

F C

HIC

AG

O B

OTA

NIC

GA

RD

ENsponsored content \\ 5

CHICAGO BOTANIC GARDENRegenstein Foundation Learning Campus Opens Fall 2016

05_BotanicGarden.indd 7 10/30/15 1:41 PM

PLEASE GIVE THE GIFT OF WINTER WARMTH

B Y T H E M A K E I T B E T T E R F O U N D A T I O N

DONATE HANDMADE OR UNUSED ITEMS AT ANY OF THESE COLLECTION POINTS:

Make It Better588 Lincoln Ave.

Winnetka, IL 60093 (847) 256-4642

Monday–Friday, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.

Volunteer Center520 Glendale Ave.

Winnetka, IL 60093(847) 441-7665

9 a.m.–4 p.m.

In the past we’ve distributed them at no cost to:• Family Empowerment Centers• Lydia Home• Lake County Haven• Chance Ministries• San Jose Obrero Mission• Many more on

makeitbetter.net/warminghearts

Please join us to give the gift of new blankets or winter outerwear— coats, hats, mittens, scarfs— to homeless and underserved families. We make it easy for you by operating a 100% efficient donation and distribution

program known as “Warming Hearts and Hands.”*

Donate at makeitbetter.net/foundation/warming-hearts-hands and we spend 100% of it on deeply discounted items.

*Warming Hearts & Hands started as a volunteer effort in 2006 in partnership with The Volunteer Center. It's grown to become a 501c3 program through the Make It Better Foundation. Learn more at makeitbetter.net /warminghearts

For more information, please contact us at:Sharon KroneMake It Better [email protected]

We gladly receive unused or handmade:• Coats• Hats• Gloves• Scarves• Blankets


Make It Better staff collecting donations

Items being distributed to those in need

06_warmingHearts.indd 8 10/30/15 1:42 PM

wilmette theatre TAKE A SEAT AND SEE SOMETHING DIFFERENT at the Wilmette Theatre! Thanks to a generous donation by the Jerome Mirza Foundation, the theatre is launching a much-needed seat replacement campaign. Our patrons tell us they love our programming but our 40 year old seats have lost their oomph. The Wilmette Theatre’s TAKE A SEAT campaign is a special initiative to get new comfort-able seats. Your gift will be recognized on a special plaque in the theatre’s lobby and you will receive special rewards.

For more information, contact 847.251.7424

[email protected]

1122 Central Ave., Wilmette, IL 60091

Donate today: wilmettetheatre.com

Proud Sponsors

06_warmingHearts.indd 9 10/30/15 1:42 PM


Every child deserves a good education, a safe, loving home and adequate health care. Every adult honestly trying to overcome dif-ficulties and succeed in life does too. Many Americans believe this and want to help. They pay their blessings forward by starting or supporting nonprofits which help to accomplish these bold goals.

We love to identify, elevate and amplify nonprofits demonstrating best practices—as well as create connections and opportunities for collaboration. The more funders and effective nonprofits learn from and help each other, the faster every child and well-inten-tioned adult gets the help they deserve.

We started the Make It Better Foundation and our Philanthropy Awards to grow a network of venture philanthropists and social

entrepreneurs as judges and sponsors of the awards (similar to the Academy of Judges for the Oscars) and to provide rocket-fuel support for the nonprofits they select. Each year, in honor of National Philanthropy Day, we announce the winners with a live-blogged roadshow as we surprise winners with the good news. Please watch this year on November 16 through your social network.

PHILANTHROPY AWARDS CATEGORIES AND SPONSORS

Health and Wellness: Nancy Searle

Education: Dolores Kohl

Human Services/Empowerment: Shirley and Pat Ryan

Social Justice: Dennis and Ann Fitzsimmons

Arts: Dick and Sue Kiphart

Human Services/Veterans Care/Social Services John and Fran Edwardson

We notify winners with surprise, live-blogged visits in honor of National Philanthropy Day.

Prizes include the December Shop For Good proceeds and the highest quality fundraising and friend-raising tools including:Professionally produced TV quality videosSignificant coverage in Make It Better magazine – Print & OnlineOscar Style Celebration PartyNetworking OpportunitiesTraining in best digital and other marketing practices To learn more about our Philanthropy Awards, please contact:Sharon KroneMake It Better Foundation847-256-4642 | [email protected]

Follow our live tweeted winner announcement Monday,

November 16th

FOLLOW OUR LIVE TWEETEDPHILANTHROPY

AWARDSON MONDAY, NOVEMBER 16

B Y N A N C Y S E A R L E , P R E S I D E N T , M I B F

Check out last years winners video at MAKEITBETTER.NET/2014PHILAWARDS

08_PhilanthropyAwards_4.indd 8 10/30/15 1:43 PM

North Shore Senior Center

With thoughts of holiday packages and parties looming large, North Shore Senior Center asks that its friends and neighbors keep the needs of low-income older adults in mind as well.

Just before Thanksgiving, North Shore Senior Center’s holiday Giving Tree will be decorated with individual gift tags, each one bearing a holiday-wish item for a senior in need. People can choose a tag (or tags) from the tree, and purchase gifts for the seniors, who are identifi ed by fi rst name only. Modest items such as postage stamps, sweaters, warm blankets, magnifi ers for reading, or grocery store gift cards are common among Giving Tree wish requests.

All wrapped Giving Tree gift donations can be dropped off at the North Shore Senior Center’s administrative offi ces in Northfi eld, by Monday, December 7, and will be hand-delivered to the people who wished for them.

To learn more about how you can help support The Giving Tree program, call 847-784-6000

Weekdays from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.161 Northfield Road Northfield, IL 60093

www.nssc.org

08_PhilanthropyAwards_4.indd 9 10/30/15 1:43 PM


PHO

TO C

OU

RT

ESY

OF

TH

E C

HIC

AG

O C

OM

MU

NIT

Y T

RU

ST

We’ve long known that Chicago and its surrounding suburbs make up a very generous, other-centered, philanthropic community. But now—thanks to a survey conducted by Indiana University’s Lilly School of Philanthropy on behalf of The Chicago Community Trust—we know that our community is at the national epicenter of philanthropy. No hyperbole.

“Chicagoans are generous—significantly more generous than the national average—by some measures as much as 50 percent more,” Terry Mazany, president and CEO of the Trust, says. For example, average household giving in the rest of the country is 2 percent of income. In Chicago, it is 3.1 percent.

In advance of its 100th anniversary this year, the Trust commis-sioned the study to benchmark the giving of time, talent and money in Chicago’s six-county region. It hoped to use this informa-tion to make Chicago the most philanthropic region in the country. What the study proved, however, is that Chicago is already the most philanthropic region in the country.

Chicago households not only donate a higher percentage of income, they volunteer a greater percentage of time. On average, those with high household incomes (above $200,000) volunteer the most and give more money. The data shows that Chicago corporations and foundations are exceptionally generous, too. For instance, 97 percent (68 out of 70) of the corporations who re-sponded to the survey donate dollars, talent and employee hours.Importantly, the data provides hard evidence that Chicagoans care a lot about each other. As Daniel Ash, trust director of marketing, explains, “Basic Human Needs is one of the highest giving catego-ries in Chicago. This illustrates that Chicagoans take care of one another and this is something we should all be proud of!”

SPECIFIC DONATION DATA INCLUDES:• $10 billion was donated in Chicago in 2013• $7.1 billion (71 percent) was donated by households• $2.4 billion (24 percent) was donated by foundations and

grantmaking charities (like United Way and JUF)• $5 million (5 percent) was donated by corporations and

corporate foundations• $6.7 billion (67 percent) of that $10 billion stayed in the

Chicago metropolitan area

Household giving—top categories receiving donations as report-ed by high-net-worth households/all other income households:• 78 percent / 72 percent basic human needs• 60 percent / 44 percent health• 57 percent / 60 percent religious purposes• 53 percent / 36 percent combined purposes• 50 percent / 15 percent higher education• 42 percent / 28 percent youth and family services• 40 percent / 26 percent education• 36 percent / 19 percent arts & culture• 26 percent / 21 percent international aid

Household Volunteering:• 74 percent of Chicago high-net-worth households volunteer• 47 percent of all other Chicago households volunteer

Grantmaking by foundations, corporations and others in 2012:• 2,038 grantmakers gave nearly 39,000 grants of $4000 or

more, totaling $2.6 billion• 107 grants over $1 million were given, totaling $328 million• 1 grant was over $40 millionTop non-corporate foundation grantmakers were:Chicago Community Trust $127 million (13 percent)

United Way $33 million (3 percent)

MacArthur Foundation $30 million (3 percent)

EPICENTER OF PHILANTHROPY

CHICAGO COMMUNITY TRUST STUDY SHOWS THAT CHICAGO IS THE MOST PHILANTHROPIC

CITY IN AMERICAB Y S U S A N B . N O Y E S

Trust CEO Terry Mazany congratulating Catalyst Chicago on 25 years and honoring publisher Linda Lenz!

Terry Mazany, President and CEO of the Chicago Community Trust

10_EpicenterPhilanthropy.indd 10 10/30/15 1:44 PM

PHO

TO C

OU

RT

ESY

OF

TH

E C

HIC

AG

O C

OM

MU

NIT

Y T

RU

ST

Five corporate foundation grantmakers accounted for 70 percent of corporate foundation giving:1. Abbott Fund (40 percent)2. The Allstate Foundation3. Motorola Solutions Foundation4. Illinois Tool Works Foundation5. Grand Victoria Foundation

Not surprisingly, online giving grew astronomically in the past decade. In 2013, more than 70 percent of high-net-worth households donated online. Therefore, growing online connections should grow more donations too. The study also noted other tools that can help improve future donations. These include improved ef-fectiveness and efficiency reporting, better communications of community needs, and better collaboration to leverage resources.

These conclusions also demonstrate that Make It Better operates at the epicen-ter of philanthropy. Our well-educated audience lives online, appreciates the power of collaboration and demands data that proves something is effective, efficient and scalable before investing. These traits, combined with our Make It Better footprint, put us at the epicenter of impactful philanthropy.

To read more about giving back, visit makeitbetter.net/getinvolved

FOLLOW OUR LIVE TWEETEDPHILANTHROPY

AWARDSON MONDAY, NOVEMBER 16

Check out last years winners video at MAKEITBETTER.NET/2014PHILAWARDS

10_EpicenterPhilanthropy.indd 11 10/30/15 1:44 PM


DA

N P

ALL

OT

TA P

HO

TO B

Y J

AM

ES D

UN

CA

N D

AV

IDSO

N; J

OY

SU

N P

HO

TO B

Y R

YA

N L

ASH

/TED

; N

AN

CY

FR

AT

ES P

HO

TO B

Y T

EDX

BO

STO

N/S

USA

N P

OU

BLO

N; B

RY

AN

ST

EVEN

SON

PH

OTO

BY

ST

EVE

JUR

VET

SON

Do you ever find yourself sitting at your desk or lying on the living room couch feeling uninspired? Check out TED Talks for a quick burst of motivation. These 15-20 minute videos feature engaging speakers who share innovative ideas, advice and calls to action. These four talks will make you change the way you think about giving back and taking action.

1. “THE WAY WE THINK ABOUT CHARITY IS DEAD WRONG” BY DAN PALLOTTA p“We have a visceral reaction to the idea that anyone would make very much money helping other people. Interesting that we don’t have a visceral reaction to the notion that people would make a lot of money not helping other people.”

Dan Pallotta, entrepreneur, author, and activist discusses the stark contrast in the growth of the nonprofit sector compared to the for-profit sector, and why we’ve got it wrong when it comes to the way we think about “successful” nonprofits.

2. “SHOULD YOU DONATE DIFFERENTLY?” BY JOY SUN q“Studies across the board show that people use cash transfers to improve their own lives.”

What would happen if we handed the poor of the world cash instead of items we choose for them? Do we really know what is best for the poor? Experienced aid worker Joy Sun explores the surprising results of studies behind cash transfers for the poor.

3. “MEET THE MOM WHO STARTED THE ICE BUCKET CHALLENGE” BY NANCY FRATES u“If you ever come across a situation that you find so unacceptable, I want you to dig down as deep as you can and find your best mother bear, and go after it.”

When Nancy Frates’ 27-year-old son, Pete, was diagnosed with ALS, doctors told him, “I’m sorry, there is no treatment.” Pete told his family he wasn’t going to take “I’m sorry” for an answer. The night that he learned of his diagnosis he vowed he would work to get his rare, deadly disease in front of philanthropists like Bill Gates. Listen to the story of how he and his family did just that, and raised more than $160 million for ALS research.

4 TED TALKS THAT WILL CHANGE

THE WAY YOU THINK ABOUT CHARITY

B Y M A U R A F L A H E R T Y

12_TedTalks.indd 12 10/30/15 1:45 PM

guide to giving \\ 13

College Bound OpportunitiesA college education can change lives and break the cycle of poverty. CBO mentors local students to unleash their potential and empower future leaders.

2033 N Milwaukee Ave., Suite 246Riverwoods | 847-943-9226cbo4success.org

Family Serviceof Lake CountyFamily Service offers responsive, ho-listic counseling, senior and caregiver support, and Latino educational and other services. Most programs are available at no out-of-pocket client cost.

777 Central Ave., Suite 17Highland Park | 847-432-4981

Women’s Health FoundationWomen’s Health Foundation’s mission is to improve the pelvic health of all women and girls.

632 W. Deming Place Chicago |312-415-8246womenshealthfoundation.org

DA

N P

ALL

OT

TA P

HO

TO B

Y J

AM

ES D

UN

CA

N D

AV

IDSO

N; J

OY

SU

N P

HO

TO B

Y R

YA

N L

ASH

/TED

; N

AN

CY

FR

AT

ES P

HO

TO B

Y T

EDX

BO

STO

N/S

USA

N P

OU

BLO

N; B

RY

AN

ST

EVEN

SON

PH

OTO

BY

ST

EVE

JUR

VET

SON

4. “WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT AN INJUSTICE” BY BRYAN STEVENSON q“We will ultimately not be judged by our technology, our design, or our intellect or reason. Ultimately you judge the character of a society, not by how they treat the rich and the powerful and the privileged but by how they treat the poor, the condemned, the incarcerated.”

Bryan Stevenson, human rights lawyer and executive director of the Human Rights Initiative, recently helped to exonerate a man who was on death row for 30 years. In his TED Talk, Stevenson discusses the need for our society to care more about human rights and human dignity, and our need to marry our ideas surrounding technology, design and innovation with ideas that allow for compas-sion and justice.

12_TedTalks.indd 13 10/30/15 1:45 PM

VISIT MAKEITBETTER.NET/SHOP

INTRODUCING SHOP FOR GOOD

#MIBSHOPFORGOODShop outstanding community businesses online and 10% of your purchase

will benefit carefully vetted nonprofits.

You want your spending power to do as much good as possible. We make this easy.

MIB SHOP FOR GOOD: THE MORE YOU SHOP, THE MORE GOOD YOU DO.

16_ShopForGood.indd 117 10/29/15 6:38 PM

Documents

Make It Better Guide To Giving 2015