HighSchool
AN EDUCATOR’S GUIDE TO TEACHING CHARITY 9TH – 12TH GRADE CLASSROOMS & CLUBS Kids do better in school and in life when learning engages both their minds and hearts. Classroom curriculum engages the mind…doing good for others engages the heart! With excitement buzzing around our community, your students may be learning more and more about Give Where You Live – a 24‐hour giving day used to rally support for Kearney area nonprofit organizations and projects. What better time to remind your students about philanthropy! This simple guide helps you, as an educator, get the charitable wheels turning in your students’ heads! What is Give Where You Live? Give Where You Live is a 24‐hour fundraising event created to rally community support for local charitable causes. This unique one‐day fundraiser is being organized by the Kearney Area Community Foundation (KACF) and will be held on Thursday, December 4, 2014, from midnight to midnight. Community members are asked to make donations and show support for the local nonprofit organizations that positively impact our lives every day. Nonprofits will be eligible to receive prizes and matching funds during the 24‐hour long fundraising event. KACF brings this event to the Kearney area with several goals in mind: To raise awareness of the current philanthropic needs of our communities To help local nonprofits identify and cultivate new funding streams To inspire donors to increase financial support of their favorite local causes Resources: ‐
www.learningtogive.org
Suggestions for teaching and class participation: 1) At this age, your students have probably already been introduced to the idea of philanthropy. Remind your students of the meaning of the word. Give examples from your own experience. Identify actions of philanthropic people. Encourage students to give their own examples. Understanding the meaning of philanthropy helps students understand their own personal value system. Review three key terms: What does it mean to give your time? What is your time? Recess? After school? What does it mean to give your talent? What is your talent? Can you play music, dance, paint? What does it mean to give your treasures? What are your treasures? Updated on 9/18/2014 Page 1 of 3
2) Identify philanthropic people throughout history. Assign each student, or group of students, a philanthropist to research. Have them prepare a short presentation on what that philanthropist has accomplished. Suggestions: Mother Teresa Joan Ganz Cooney Andrew Shue Bill and Camille Cosby Princess Diana Eunice Kennedy Shriver Garth Brooks Bill & Melinda Gates Ted Turner Warren Buffett Milton Hershey Madame Walker Andrew Carnegie Derek Jeters Oprah Winfrey Jimmy Carter John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Mark Zuckerberg *Source: http://www.learningtogive.org/lessons/npd/9‐12%20NPD%20Lesson.pdf 3) Talk to your students about different ways to give to charity. Did you know research shows that talking to children about giving increases the likelihood that they will give by 20%! Remind them that charity may involve a gift of money, but can mean so much more: Donate clothes (or other items they no longer need) to other kids who need them. Help a neighbor take in their groceries since your legs are younger and may be stronger! Include pets – deliver a bag of dog or cat food to the local animal shelter. Fido will love it! 4) Have students brainstorm an act of kindness. Challenge them to do one random act of kindness each day during the week leading up to December 4. Ask them to reflect on how their act affected the recipient and write a story or draw an illustration to support their experience. 5) Create a giving circle. A giving circle is a form of philanthropy where groups of individuals donate their own money or time to a pooled fund. After visiting GiveWhereYouLive.Razoo.com and learning about the community organizations, the group collectively decides where to give their pooled resources. This helps increase awareness and engages students in a healthy discussion. 6) Check out the Give Where You Live web page using an overhead projector, tablet or computer lab! There will be over 100 charities participating, so you may want to visit the website and choose a few ahead of time! Let them read about the ones you have selected on GiveWhereYouLive.Razoo.com. Visit again on December 4 to see the progress and get excited! 7) Discuss some of the students concerns with our community or even the world! Then, find a charity or nonprofit organization that addresses some of the concerns that were discussed. Research this organization and learn how it helps to fix this issue. Brainstorm with your students on how to make a difference. 8) Plan a giving “event” for your classroom. Would you like them to bring spare change? Canned food? Bake sale items? Old books? Create an action item and have them follow through! Keep in touch with the charity you supported to show your students how they made a difference! 9) Be a “giving” role model! Kids love to copy their parents and teachers, so tell them about how you are supporting a local organization with your time, talents or treasures. Updated on 9/18/2014
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10) Offer your own match! If you are asking students to bring in cash or spare change, offer to match the dollars they bring in to maximize your impact and show your commitment to giving! 11) Arrange to make your students’ donation. Choose someone to drop the donation off at the charity or the Kearney Area Community Foundation on December 4! By receiving your donation on December 4, you will be helping the charity of your students’ choosing receive prizes and matching funds! Our office will be open from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. If you have any questions regarding these tips, please contact Julie Ann Stepanek at [email protected] or (308) 237‐3114 Updated on 9/18/2014
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www.learningtogive.org
Suggestions for teaching and class participation: 1) At this age, your students have probably already been introduced to the idea of philanthropy. Remind your students of the meaning of the word. Give examples from your own experience. Identify actions of philanthropic people. Encourage students to give their own examples. Understanding the meaning of philanthropy helps students understand their own personal value system. Review three key terms: What does it mean to give your time? What is your time? Recess? After school? What does it mean to give your talent? What is your talent? Can you play music, dance, paint? What does it mean to give your treasures? What are your treasures? Updated on 9/18/2014 Page 1 of 3
2) Identify philanthropic people throughout history. Assign each student, or group of students, a philanthropist to research. Have them prepare a short presentation on what that philanthropist has accomplished. Suggestions: Mother Teresa Joan Ganz Cooney Andrew Shue Bill and Camille Cosby Princess Diana Eunice Kennedy Shriver Garth Brooks Bill & Melinda Gates Ted Turner Warren Buffett Milton Hershey Madame Walker Andrew Carnegie Derek Jeters Oprah Winfrey Jimmy Carter John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Mark Zuckerberg *Source: http://www.learningtogive.org/lessons/npd/9‐12%20NPD%20Lesson.pdf 3) Talk to your students about different ways to give to charity. Did you know research shows that talking to children about giving increases the likelihood that they will give by 20%! Remind them that charity may involve a gift of money, but can mean so much more: Donate clothes (or other items they no longer need) to other kids who need them. Help a neighbor take in their groceries since your legs are younger and may be stronger! Include pets – deliver a bag of dog or cat food to the local animal shelter. Fido will love it! 4) Have students brainstorm an act of kindness. Challenge them to do one random act of kindness each day during the week leading up to December 4. Ask them to reflect on how their act affected the recipient and write a story or draw an illustration to support their experience. 5) Create a giving circle. A giving circle is a form of philanthropy where groups of individuals donate their own money or time to a pooled fund. After visiting GiveWhereYouLive.Razoo.com and learning about the community organizations, the group collectively decides where to give their pooled resources. This helps increase awareness and engages students in a healthy discussion. 6) Check out the Give Where You Live web page using an overhead projector, tablet or computer lab! There will be over 100 charities participating, so you may want to visit the website and choose a few ahead of time! Let them read about the ones you have selected on GiveWhereYouLive.Razoo.com. Visit again on December 4 to see the progress and get excited! 7) Discuss some of the students concerns with our community or even the world! Then, find a charity or nonprofit organization that addresses some of the concerns that were discussed. Research this organization and learn how it helps to fix this issue. Brainstorm with your students on how to make a difference. 8) Plan a giving “event” for your classroom. Would you like them to bring spare change? Canned food? Bake sale items? Old books? Create an action item and have them follow through! Keep in touch with the charity you supported to show your students how they made a difference! 9) Be a “giving” role model! Kids love to copy their parents and teachers, so tell them about how you are supporting a local organization with your time, talents or treasures. Updated on 9/18/2014
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10) Offer your own match! If you are asking students to bring in cash or spare change, offer to match the dollars they bring in to maximize your impact and show your commitment to giving! 11) Arrange to make your students’ donation. Choose someone to drop the donation off at the charity or the Kearney Area Community Foundation on December 4! By receiving your donation on December 4, you will be helping the charity of your students’ choosing receive prizes and matching funds! Our office will be open from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. If you have any questions regarding these tips, please contact Julie Ann Stepanek at [email protected] or (308) 237‐3114 Updated on 9/18/2014
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