This year marks the 35th anniversary of Lifestyles Magazine- our publication that was created to serve as a platform and chronicle of charitable giving.

The word “Philanthropy” means the “love of humanity.”

Society often associates the term with only a one-dimensional flow of financial resources rather than the full awakening of our noblest virtues and capacities. Money is a key component of the philanthropic equation, but a more expanded vision allows us to approach philanthropy as a transformational relationship entered into for the benefit of all beings - including every individual who chooses to give.

In this expanded vision, our readers- innovative philanthropists- intensely engage the human experiment, and are willing to direct their full resources towards human betterment. These resources take on varying forms: anything from applying marketing skills to fundraising, to  creating a Robin Hood Foundation-type of mega-donor group of key hedge fund players, to even delivering an inspiring public speech.

Our three and a half decades of close work with true philanthropists showed us that dedicated givers see each moment as a unique opportunity to gift the world with whatever assets they have available.

In many conversations with donors over the years we have learned that an essential step in moving towards this expanded vision involves shifting our basic understanding of money.

Historically, wealth has been seen as separate from the path of conscious transformation. Seen through a donor’s lens, money can serve our most precious values and boldest dreams. Its flow reflects the quality of our consciousness and the clarity of our intentions, shaping our ecological and social footprint as well as our personal legacy. It represents our power to instill energy into life-affirming organizations or projects. Money, when combined with awareness, becomes part of our creative magic.

In recent times, a new wave of conscious philanthropy is rising that reflects these insights and goes far beyond guilt-induced redistribution to the poor for a tax break.

They are “Venture philanthropists” applying business disciplines to social change- focusing on innovation and entrepreneurial empowerment. One of our recent Lifestyles Magazine cover personalities, Jeffrey Skoll is probably one of the world’s best examples of this type of unique, socially conscious philanthropy.

An ever-growing group of our core readers who are transformational philanthropists dig deeper into root causes of social ills and rework the very foundations of society. What unites the various approaches is a desire to engage the process of human betterment more strategically and consciously, not only with checkbooks, but with talents, effort and time.

Las Vegas based mega donors and Lifestyles Magazine cover profilees, Dr. Miriam and Sheldon Adelson have recently embarked on a historic mission that will see tens of billions of dollars directed at and focusing on a number of defined causes in coming years.

We learn from our readers every day. One common denominator we see among the top givers among our loyal donor-readership is “stewardship”. Instead of considering their resources as personal fortunes they see them as collective assets that we have the opportunity and even responsibility to steward with wisdom, compassion, and purpose.

Recent Lifestyles cover profilee Dr. Leslie Dan and his wife Anna Dan are such donors. They simply see themselves as conduits, who are possessing a large fortune for the sole purpose of being able to redistribute it to needy causes in their lifetimes.

One of the most significant trends in giving involves seeing philanthropy as an act that not only helps someone else, but changes the philanthropist also. Giving is elevated to a whole new level of an act of mutual evolution and empowerment.

The connection between a philanthropist and a recipient bridges two missions and engages the total self of each person involved - his or her knowledge, values, worldview, beliefs, talents, awareness, and skills. The philanthropic relationship thus involves dreams, ideas, and talents in addition to money.

Recent Lifestyles Magazine cover profilee, Citigroup founder Sanford Weill is one of the best examples of this type of mega-donors. This Bensonhurst-born descendant of poor Jewish immigrants built the historic Weill Cornell Medical College in the desert emirate of Qatar.

Another great example of the leading group of socially conscious donors with a global vision is recent Lifestyles Magazine cover personality, New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, whose passionately personal philanthropic ventures are simply awe-inspiring.

Truly conscious philanthropy empowers the next wave of change agents on both sides of the giving equation. Therefore, creating conditions where individuals can engage in meaningful growth is essential.

This is the mission of Lifestyles Magazine. With over three and a half trillion dollars changing hands in our donor community in coming decades from the current generation of donors to their children, our task is considerable.

In recent times, some givers emphasize the importance of shifting away from charity box-type of giving, which tends to alleviate the guilt of those with “too much” by giving to those who are resource-poor, towards true philanthropy - working in partnership towards a shared goal. The donor and recipient become equal partners in the relationship, each with essential assets, skills, and talents to offer the shared mission, which might be anything from community causes to the scientific study of forgiveness. Yes, money is part of the exchange, but not the only part.

We see one of the central challenges of our day to be the reallocation of our society’s resources away from fear-based expenditures, such as homeland security budgets or security systems for our enclaves, and towards those based on caring, such as programs to preserve the rainforest, saving the oceans, protecting the ozone layer or explore mind-body medicine. In shifting the societal fear-love balance, the philanthropist becomes a cultural healer, using the flow of money to reorient society to more life-affirming goals. Cynical thinkers view this as sort of “money laundering.”

By blessing and consecrating it, wealthy individuals can now cleanse money that sometimes was earned in ways that are seen by many as exploitative -and redeem it for more soul-filled purposes, moving the causes beyond scarcity into abundance.

In engaging this financial alchemy, some donors bring their relationship with money into the heart of our spiritual life and practice. We hear from an increasing number of donors say that “when we align our financial expression with our spiritual truths, that’s where true prosperity lies.”

Donors’ money ultimately carries their true intentions. More than anything, many of them hope that their lives become increasingly defined by what they allocate rather than what they accumulate.
Bringing greater consciousness to how money flows becomes central to aligning our society with the givers’ noblest ideals.

In the coming years this magazine will seek to find ways to demonstrate how to infuse philanthropy with evolutionary potential, enabling us to create abundant, generous, and joyful lives while transforming the world.

This is true regardless of the quantity of resources involved; it is the quality of intention, consciousness, and relationship infusing our actions that matters the most.

Fostering and perpetuating the culture of philanthropy directed toward the betterment of the human condition remains our sole purpose.

Gabriel A. Erem
Founder,
Lifestyles Magazines International