Philanthropy & the 4th Grade Part 2

Wish us luck!  Tomorrow morning at 9 a.m., my daughter's fourth grade class will make their "philanthropy" presentation to the principal, asking for his support of their dream to lead a fundraising effort to improve their playground. 

What started as a simple, 45-minute session many weeks ago (see January 31^st post) on defining philanthropy and how it might fit into their classroom economy has literally snowballed into a project of some serious dimensions.  Talk about bold vision.  These kids are amazing, every single one of them, and it has been so rejuvenating to spend an hour each week with them for the past five weeks as they embrace the concepts of giving, raising money, and leaving a legacy for their school. 

Picture these scenes:

1.  The whiteboard at the front of the room had today's schedule written up in that perfect 4^th grade teacher handwriting.  The morning was full of time for reading, math, science, etc.  The afternoon read:

12:30 Lunch 

1:00 Read Aloud

1:30 Philanthropy

2:30 Spirit Assembly

3:00 Jobs

3:10 Dismissal

I have to admit, it made me smile to see Philanthropy right up there with Lunch and Math on the to-do list.  Powerful. Imagine if that happened more often.

2.  Six kids are ready to kick-off the presentation tomorrow. They'll say their name, age, and what class they are in.  Then, collectively, they plan to say, "and we are philanthropists."  Gives me goosebumps:  all those young voices together identifying as philanthropists.  They can spell it, say it, and most definitely feel it. 

3.  Me:  So, what does it mean to be a philanthropist?  Student: We solve problems.  Seriously, this just might be more inspiring than any professional development workshop.  I love it.

The project has definitely grown organically.  Ms. V-B and I had no idea what exactly we were getting in to, but apparently after our discussion about philanthropy and how the world needs people willing to help others solve big problems, the class was over-the-top excited about doing something for their school.  We've talked about what they could do with their "kid power" and ultimately settled on creating a vision for additions to the playground – a fitness trail for kids who want to burn off more energy at recess, and a quiet pagoda space for kids who want a place to read or sketch. 

We've split the class into three groups.  Working with another parent who is an architect, a "design" team has learned about making a site map to explain their vision.  It's rich with detail and drawings and it's also realistic – all lessons learned over the last few weeks.  A video production team has worked with a high school student to make a short video to "show" the need.  And, a presentation/fundraising team has been working on planning some do-able fundraising events and is pulling together a presentation to give to local foundations/funders.  

Every single student is engaged.  They want to know what happens next.  One of the students has to miss tomorrow's presentation and he asked if we could videotape it so he can see it.  They are philanthropists and they wear their title with pride.

The presentation/fundraising team is actually the largest – a rather astonishing thing to consider, really.  The two things adults express as greatest fears – public speaking and asking for money – are clearly nothing to be afraid of in the 4^th grade.

I've been wrestling with why this is and what it might teach us as adults working in philanthropy.  Perhaps these 4^th graders are, literally, the epitome of philanthropos tropos.  They are so excited about, engaged in, and committed to their vision that they can only imagine inviting anyone and everyone they know to be a part of it.   They don't yet have their own baggage associated with money and so the invitations to give are simply invitations to be a part of something "awesome."   

I keep thinking…what if all of us in the development profession could return to that unabashed conviction for our causes, shedding our awkwardness about money and the hierarchical barriers it can build and instead wholeheartedly embracing the awesomeness we make possible.  Perhaps we all need to spend some time again in the 4^th grade.

I'll let you know what happens as our story unfolds.  No matter what, I love the idea that when some of these kids run into the word philanthropy again in high school or beyond, they'll crack a smile and know exactly what it means.

Any suggestions or ideas for what we can do to keep the 4^th grade philanthropy momentum going?  Why do you think these 4^th graders are so eager to be fundraisers?