J.J. Abrams
The Time is Now
Philanthropy is often something you do when it comes time to deal with your estate. But when I started to make a living, my wife and I decided we didn't want to wait and that being part of the philanthropic community was important to us. So the question became really focusing, choosing where and how to spend our time, money and energy in a way that was authentic to us.
Stories Matter
The data from philanthropic groups can be so overwhelming that you can almost shut down and not feel the need. To me, a key weakness of some of these organizations is the storytelling component. But the technology that is now ubiquitous can be used to communicate emotional experiences that will motivate people to give because they want to.
Mass Messaging
It has been amazing to see how Idol Gives Back has raised tens of millions of dollars every year for massively important causes, money that would have been left on the table. When you see that $50 million can be raised in a night, that's cool. But what's really cool is the message it sends, that it is possible, that you don't have to be a billionaire to have an impact.