Town and Country Philanthropy Issue - and more.....

I love magazines. In fact, I collect them. My basement is full of thousands of them: from Fortune and Fast Company, to Oprah and Architectural Digest. I cannot read one tenth of the number that flow in to this house but it gives me joy knowing there are there in case one day I actually have the time to look at them.

This month one issue came in that I read from cover to cover. It is so of the moment both in terms of what is going on in the world, and what is going in my world, that I felt it was written just for me. It is now my second favorite issue of any magazine of all time. (My first is the 1972 issue of MS Magazine with Wonder Woman on the cover)

What is it you ask? The June issue of Town and Country – The Special Philanthropy Issue. Here are the top 10 reasons why I love it and why I feel it is so relevant this very moment:

1) In an article called “The Upside of the Downside” the wonderful Tracy Gary encourages us to give abundantly despite being in a period of scarcity. “The paradox is that in economic times like there, the opportunities for our humanity to flourish are abundant.” I like that. Buy Tracy's amazing book here.

2) My good friend and author Joanna Krotz wrote a number of features in this issue including some profiles of some of my favorite people on the planet. Her new book “ Town and Country - The Guide to Intelligent Giving” was just released and it is awesome. Click here to buy it for you and ALL your friends. For more on Joanna and her work - click here.

3) JK wrote a piece called “Teach Your Children Well” which offers some great insights about how to start the dialogue about money with your children. If you want to go deeper my fav money book for kids is "Raising Financially Fit Kids" by Joline Godfrey. Click here.

4) JK profiled Jennifer Buffet, an extraordinary woman giver who I have had the pleasure to getting to know through the Women Moving Millions Movement. She is as special as JK’s story says she is and more. Jennifer is committed to the empowerment of girls globally. The Novo Foundation is behind the GIRL EFFECT which if you have not seen and forwarded to everyone you know, you much. Click here to watch. For more on the NOVO foundation - click here.

5) JK profiled a force of nature from Atlanta, Kayrita Anderson, whose story I have been telling on radio programs around the country this past few weeks as part of the Women Moving Millions media outreach. Kayrita and her husband are working to end child prostitution in the state of Atlanta and aspire to share their model with others across the country. To learn more about their work click here.

6) There is an article about helping children in Cambodia, a country I recently travelled to with the American Red Cross. The gorgeous photos of the children took me right back there. That trip proved to be a major catalyst for me in my philanthropic work.

7) JK wrote a piece on Goldman Sach’s Dina Powell, the leader of their 10,000 Women Initiative. I was present last year when they announced this program and I have never been more proud to be affiliated with this firm. Read this piece from Huffpo.

8) They give you a whole list of gorgeous jewelry you can buy that also supports charity. We need to, NEED TO, use our pocketbooks to inspire and enforce the change we want to see in the world. If we buy products that have a cause element, more and more companies will do this. I serve on the board of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation and millions of dollars flow in to use because consumers buy products with our logo. Do it more, do it often, and think about how you can do it within your own company.

9) If we want magazines like Town and Country to publish issues like this one we have to buy out the shelves, subscribe, and write a letter to the editor telling them how much we love it. Please do ALL THREE RIGHT NOW! Thank you to Pamela Fiori, Editor in Chief, for creating a space for all these incredible stories.

10) The last reason why I love this issue is because it came out at the same time Women Moving Millions concluded the first leg of their initiative that I am honored to be a part of. They surpassed their goal of raising $150 million in million dollar gifts that will go to Womens Funds around the country and around the world. Many of the women in the issue, including Tracy, Kayrita and Jennifer are donors, and I had them sign their pages along with Helen Lakelly Hunt and Chris Grumm, marking this moment, as being the start of something big. The ‘something’ is women using their collective resources, and especially their money, to drive the change they want to see in the world. This is a movement. This is the Women’s Funding Movement. This is the Women’s Money Movement.

Have a great Sunday. God Bless.................