Page 14 - KW LUXURY MAGAZINE

Block explains that when people learn about an issue, she has seen them respond in one of two ways, “They either turn away or it wakes them up. When people start asking themselves, ‘what can
I do?’ and ‘what impact can I have?’ that is when they take action. Kieserman adds, “There’s no special skill to help. Not all heroes wear capes.” Giving back is made up of small components that come together to create profound success. Block simpli es by adding, “You don’t have to think, am I going to change the world? Small actions can change everyday behaviors, and that’s what is so important.”
“Pay attention to the things that gnaw at you. Those are the things that will move you to take action,” urges Reckford. Volunteering can be a way to gain professional experience, it can bulk up your resume or increase your social status, but when a volunteer or donor truly understands an issue, when they research and educate themselves about a problem that gnaws at them, that is when
“If organizations want to raise money for a charitable cause, it is far better to appeal to the heart than
to the head. Put another way, feelings, not analytical thinking, drive donations.”*
pure altruism results in action.
“The best kind of donor is an educated
donor. Figure out what moves you. We’re not all moved by the same things,” notes Block, who jokes that animal protection is in her blood. She was raised by a mother who believed that it wasn’t just enough to love animals, but that you have to get off the sidelines and do something. With a record number of disasters in the past few years, the need for volunteers has continued to grow. The Humane Society, The American Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity International and countless other organizations, large and small, rely on the generosity of volunteers and donors to give back.
“To me, giving back is recognizing that each of us, at one point, depends on each other. No one got where they are by themselves. No one
is successful alone and no one should fail alone. Giving back is fundamentally recognizing that there’s very little that we do by ourselves,” says Kieserman.
“I’m always struck when people thank me for the opportunity to work hard on a Habitat home and I think it is because it allows them to feel a sense of community that is too rare these days,” says Jonathan Reckford, CEO of Habitat for Humanity International.
* “Sympathy and Callousness: The Impact of Deliberative Thought on Donations to Identi able and Statistical Victims,” by Deborah Small of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania; George Loewenstein of Carnegie Mellon University; and Paul Slovic of Decision Research.
12
PHOTO COURTESY OF HABITAT FOR HUMANITY
©ISTOCKPHOTO.COM / SDI PRODUCTIONS
PHOTO BY DANIEL CIMA © THE AMERICAN NATIONAL RED CROSS 2018
©ISTOCKPHOTO.COM / NANTONOV