Magnify Your 5K Run/Walk
April 13
Kestrel Point in Winton Woods
All proceeds support Magnified Giving programming and help us educate young philanthropists. 1-mile, 5K, and virtual participation options are available.
Sign up at www.magnifiedgiving.org/events.
Giving back to the community isn’t just for grown-ups. More and more young people are finding ways to contribute to non-profits and charities.
“If they can give back their time, talent, and treasure and learn to go through the same disciplines that I do every year and make decisions about who to give money to, that could really touch their hearts and minds,” says Roger Grein, founder of Magnified Giving. “It could inspire them to become lifelong philanthropists.”
Each year, Magnified Giving works with around 5,000 youth. By building partnerships with schools and organizations, the organization provides training and resources to facilitate a Youth Philanthropy Program. This year, they trained over 115 facilitators who are leading programs with 144 different groups.
Magnified Giving began in 2008 though the principles of the organization started many years earlier.
“In 2001, one casual lunch with a friend changed my life,” Grein said in a recent interview. “I was sharing a meal with Dr. James Votruba (then President of Northern Kentucky University). He told me that he had been working with Dr. Neal Mayerson, leader of The Mayerson Foundation, who was sponsoring a class at NKU for students to invest money into local nonprofit agencies. I was captivated. This idea resonated with me so much because every year, I struggle not with whether to help out, but who to help out. Not whether to write the check, but who to give it to. When Dr. Vortuba shared this idea, I realized it would be so powerful to get young people involved in that decision-making.”
Grein became a champion for the hands-on philanthropy model, sharing it with university presidents across the Midwest. His passion for helping college students understand the importance of philanthropy and the power they have in contributing to the community has led to 34 colleges and universities embracing this philanthropy education model. Today, the program is managed by Ohio Campus Compact and funded by a national grant provided by the National Corporation for Service Learning.
Later this Spring, Magnified Giving will host three Grant Giving Ceremonies, with participating youth presenting grants to their chosen nonprofits and talking about what they’ve learned during the fundraising process.
“To be able to see our students, who don’t always value themselves or what they can contribute, come to the realization that they are important, and they can make a difference, is the greatest gift,” says Grein.
Many teachers use the Magnified Giving process in their classroom curriculum. For example, an English teacher might make a unique project out of the experience, having youth write a research paper about their preferred social cause and perhaps develop a persuasive speech or video presentation about their chosen nonprofit. In a government or civics class, a teacher might integrate the process into a unit on community engagement.
Magnified Giving also includes 35 of "Extension Programs," which are hosted by other community organizations that work with youth. Some Extension Programs are facilitated by nonprofit organizations that conduct after-school programs for at-risk or vulnerable youth, including Brighton Center, Lighthouse Youth and Family Services, Stepping Stones, UpSpring, and GLAD House. Magnified Giving also works with youth who are or have been incarcerated through programs at the Hamilton County Juvenile Court School and Mary Haven Youth Center.
“Through this experience, I saw that the process of engaging youth in the process of grant-making is powerful! It touches the hearts of the students and the instructors and the nonprofits they support,” said Grein. “I realized that we could start this process with middle school and high school students too.
Learn more about Magnified Giving at www.magnifiedgiving.org.