TheGlassHammer.com Philanthropic Travelers

"Making a change, making the world a better place, it's not only your responsibility, it is your choice. It is your blessing. It is your gift. It's your opportunity to make your life mean something -so take it,". says Ghana-born musician and activist, Derrick Ashong.

Yes, you say, but how? You've got over 300 messages in your email box and five in your voicemail. Your day of back-to-back meetings starts in 10 minutes, your performance goals are due by 5:00, and you want a promotion.

Yet somewhere deep in your heart there's something beyond your career and family that you care about -the children who die each day from lack of food, the acres of rain forest being burned every minute, homelessness, wars, or maybe it's as close as that litter of stray kittens you saw behind McDonald's.

You can write a check. There's no shortage of needs and causes. Do you support them all? If not, which do you pick? When you give, you're saying something about yourself. "Giving is a very private action that reflects your values," says Claire Costello, National Practice Executive of philanthropic management for Bank of America.

One of the best ways to discern your inner values is to take yourself out into the world. 'Encountering other people's environments and other people's circumstances connects you to that private place of your own.

It lets you know in a very visceral way what really matters to you," she says. "Even if your travel takes you to a faraway place and your giving is focused near home, it will still make you a better giver and a more insightful human being."

Not only does travel connect you viscerally, you see with your own eyes where your money is going. A study published in the Winter 2008 Stanford Social Innovation Review discovered that donors' money isn't going where they think it is.

While 47% of the 10,000 households surveyed thought they were donating to help the needy, only 6% of their giving actually did so. Most of it (60%) went to religious causes, and only 2% of the religious organizations had a nonreligious mission. The message? Ask questions. Make a real connection to the causes you're funding.

Make It Happen
You could take a volunteer vacation, but many people are deterred by the primitive living conditions and physical labor.

There is also Philanthropic Travel. It's for people with more money than time, so it's more posh - you stay in luxury hotels and dine well.

To plan a philanthropic vacation, first prioritize your values. What resonates most for you? 'Think of it as a learning journey,' says Costello. "Ask yourself, 'What is it I want to learn about and how can I best do that?' It's hard to live out a hundred values every day, so pick the ones that resonate with you and then act on them."

Make your learning journey Real.
Exquisite Safaris Philanthropic Travel is the first travel service dedicated to Philanthropic Travel.

"What we're really offering is personal transformation, a way to connect to the world," says founder David Chamberlain.

He'll connect you with local people doing good things (and Exquisite Safaris Philanthropic Travel donates $250 per traveler to the project you visit).

The Nathans spent a week at Friends of Ngong Road's day camp in Nairobi and called it the highlight of their trip. 'It was the best camp I've ever been to," raved their 8-year-old.

"The most ironic thing about this (Philanthropic Travel) experience," she says, "Is that you end up learning and getting more than you ever could give."

Friends of Ngong Road was founded by Paula Meyer, one-time president of the mutual fund business for American Express (now Ameriprise Financial).

by Paige Churchman TheGlassHammer.com
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Exquisite Safaris Philanthropic Travel announces Americans helping Americans Philanthropic Travel (probono): Leaving the Mines Behind Empowering Appalachia: May 31 to June 7, 2009

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Philanthropic Travelers:
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