In this tale of two billionaires and a multi-millionaire, we look at different approaches to either embracing or avoiding the idea of using one’s largesse for societal benefit.
For National Volunteer Week, Austin DeMarco reminds us of the many benefits of giving, be it one’s time or one’s money—an act that rekindles our sense of purpose and meaning in life.
As Internet-driven movements proliferate and gather momentum, it may well be that iconic leader-centric movements are becoming a thing of the past.
To access the full article February 14, 2012; Source: Los Angeles Times | Though fond of his role as a political iconoclast, Newt Gingrich yesterday did the traditional: he showed up at a zoo. In this case, it was the San Diego Zoo. Formally known as the nonprofit Zoological Society of San Diego, the Balboa Park facility had an operating budget of just about $200 million in 2010. Gingrich follows in the footsteps of President Barack Obama, who took his kids there during the 2008 campaign, along with other past candidates who have shown up at one of this nation’s most impressive zoos. Perhaps more so than the others, Gingrich is a huge fan of zoos. He has regularly frequented zoos in the past, and in this instance, he turned a somewhat impromptu visit into a 90-minute behind-the-scenes tour.
Gingrich spoke up for zoos during his tour, noting, in his typically less-than-understated way, that “there are some fanatics who don’t understand the importance of zoos…[as] a wonderful place for families to come and have a chance to introduce their kids to the natural world.”
The last-minute tour wasn’t entirely a nonpolitical time for Gingrich to connect with real life pachyderms. Though there seems to have been little advance word of his tour, he was quite visible with the Gingrich for President bus parked at the zoo’s front gate. Apparently, the visit also served as a “town hall” for the Gingrich campaign, resulting in a video of the candidate, which you can see here:
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Gingrich has promised these town halls in the wake of the recent absence of candidate debates, the lack of which has deprived him of the forum in which his debating skills and quick repartee have served him well. In this case, according to MSNBC host Alex Wagner, the “town hall” lasted 3.5 minutes and involved no questions.
Presumably, there is nothing that the nonprofit San Diego Zoo can do to prevent zoo-advocate Gingrich from morphing into political candidate Gingrich during a zoo tour. Will Balboa Park’s elephants and pandas be required to provide equal time to Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum? –Rick Cohen
The “What Works Collaborative,” involving researchers from the Urban Institute, the Brookings Institution, and others, offers a report on successful strategies for building neighborhoods. 
Investor and philanthropist Scott Brittingham is donating $500,000 to Dead Central, a Grateful Dead memorial exhibition space located in the University of California-Santa Cruz’s library. 
A report from the Government Accountability Office on best practices in the use of community development block grant and HOME funds doesn’t include voices from the nonprofit sector. 
