14 Feb 2018 You Can Change the World
When someone asks you to help them change the world, it feels exciting at the onset and then all of a sudden, daunting.
Changing the world can mean many things to many people. At the Southwest Florida Community Foundation, we hear from individuals every single day that their next chapter in life includes world changing
Sometimes people know exactly what they want to change and need guidance on how they go about it, while others throw it out as a challenge to themselves and to us. Our mission at the Foundation is cultivating change for the common good, so change-makers seek us out.
These philanthropic seekers know they want to create change, but then they are stuck. Changing the world is a big job and if not handled properly the desire can quickly become an instant roadblock to great intentions.
When people say they want to change the world, many times what they mean is they desire to be part of something bigger. They want it to matter they were here, are seeking purpose and searching for a vehicle to love humanity in more intentional ways. It can seem so overwhelming that this pure desire to do something shifts to feeling too small to do anything.
I wish I could tell you that our team had the secrets to life and creating change in the world. We don’t, but we do know one word that gets uncertain world-changers unstuck.
Start.
We remind them that whatever is driving them is real and that they don’t have to create the entire world changing plan at once. Just start with something. Talking to their family about the legacy they want to create together, volunteering, setting up a charitable checkbook through a donor advised fund, which means they can set aside dollars and then spend time crafting a plan for how they want to give. The options are limitless. Just start.
World changers feel driven by a sense of purpose and sometimes they are so anxious about finding that purpose that they forget to begin living purposely.
Matching their actions to what they care about is a great first step, and it is our great pleasure to help them discover both their values and passions to create a road map for action.
Nothing makes our team happier than to see a world changer find what they are looking for and then to see the impact that is created from their vision.
Do you want to change the world? You can do it. Let us know if we can help you get started.
The Southwest Florida Community Foundation, founded in 1976, cultivates regional change for the common good through collective leadership, social innovation and philanthropy to address the evolving community needs in Lee, Collier, Charlotte, Hendry and Glades counties. The Foundation partners with individuals, families and corporations who have created more than 400 philanthropic funds. Thanks to them, the Foundation invested $5.4 million in grants and programs to the community. With assets of $115 million, it has provided more than $71 million in grants and scholarships to the communities it serves since inception. The Foundation is the backbone organization for the regional FutureMakers Coalition and Lee County’s Sustainability Plan. Currently, the Southwest Florida Community Foundation’s regional headquarters are located off College Parkway in South Fort Myers, with satellite offices located on Sanibel Island, in LaBelle (Hendry County) and downtown Fort Myers. For more information, call 239-274-5900 or visit www.floridacommunity.com
For more information about the Southwest Florida Community Foundation, call 239-274-5900 or visit www.floridacommunity.com.
