A little girl was walking along the seashore after high tide, tossing starfish back into the water. She passed a man, who said: “What are you doing? You do realize that it is impossible to save all those starfish don’t you?” She leaned down and picked up a starfish lying at their feet and tossed it back into the waves.  “I saved that one,” she said.

Surprisingly, what it does NOT take is large amounts of money.  While significant donations from Benefactors are a vital partner for charities and not for profits, particularly for those that are large scale and support broad sectors of our communities such as Hospitals and Post Secondary Educational facilities, a very large percentage of donations are from agents of change who may not have large amounts to give.  But they make it part of their personal philosophy to incorporate giving, time and/or  skill sets to support worthy causes.  In fact, 80% of giving to the GBGH Foundation is in amounts of under $500.  It is important to realize that ‘every little bit helps’ is not just a cliché.  This type of giving has been termed micro-philanthropy, which is defined by  Wikipedia as  “a model of philanthropy that is based on smaller, more direct interaction between “helpers” and “doers.” It uses the definition of philanthropy as “love of humanity”, which is broader than just charity or donating money.”

The beneficial effects on a community of the transformational energy generated by “micro-philanthropists” may have a broader impact than that of a single gift

One of the most famous examples of the mission and cultural impact of micro-philanthropy was created in 1938 and was called the March of Dimes.  While many of us are too young to remember this project the story is inspiring. 

The National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis was tasked with seeking a cure for polio as well as alleviating the suffering of disabled children and the widespread fear of citizens who were frightened of contracting this disease.  U.S. President Roosevelt’s polio and interest in a cure, inspired the organization to involve the population in minimal contributions.  This was a powerful stimulus for society and grassroots community organizations, schools, movie theatres and churches enthusiastically collected coins accumulating $1,823,045 in 1939 increasing to $67 million in 1955.

The research resulting in Jonas Salk’s successful Polio vaccine was funded in this manner. When the effectiveness was announced on April 12, 1955 what happened was “More than a scientific achievement, the vaccine was a folk victory, an occasion of pride and jubilation. A contagion of love swept the world.”

Jonas Salk was a consistent proponent of these dynamics, advocating them to create an “epidemic of health:”

There are many opportunities for you to do so as well and I encourage you to visit www.gbghf.ca to explore options, contact GBGH Foundation offices at 526-1300 ex. 3138 or any of our Board members directly (names also found on our website) who are themselves caring agents of change!

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By Susan Laycock, cfre, cae

Executive Director,

Georgian Bay General Hospital Foundation