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Beginners Guide to Functional Programming With Scala
By: Neha Sudini
Tags: Programming, Scala, Development, Functional Programming, Scala Programming

Below is a compilation of a few distinctions and advantages of Scala. To help highlight the fundamental differences, there are code snippets of the featured Scala code and its Java equivalent code (if applicable.)

Functional programming is extremely concise. Implementations that take several lines of code in imperative languages can be implemented in a single line in functional programming languages such as Scala. The following are two examples that show the difference between Java and Scala in Object creation.

Java is an imperative language where every programming logic is explicitly written line by line. On the other hand, Scala is a declarative language and a lot of implementation details are hidden and a programmer simply writes conditions on the outcomes and higher-order functions accomplish it. For example, reading input files in Scala can be implemented in a single line because of its declarative nature while it takes several lines in Java.

Digging more into high-order functions, a very powerful one that Scala supports is the map function. Map transforms one collection to another of the same type and applies a given function or condition across the entire collection. The below example uses a user-defined function, but you can also use an anonymous function which will be shown soon. The equivalent Java code requires an iteration with a typical loop structure.

If you’ve worked with Java, you’ve definitely faced thread-safety issues but Scala is designed to reduce these risks. Scala and Java both support immutability and mutability; however, Scala has inherently immutable objects for the benefit of removing potential bugs from creeping into the program. The following Scala code doubles list1 and stores this new collection into another variable. The map function uses an anonymous function this time, which is defined by the short notation of ‘_’ and nicely cuts down some lines of code. The equivalent Java code directly modifies the existing list because of mutability.

Unlike Java, Scala supports a feature called lazy evaluation where expression computations are delayed until they are accessed the first time. This feature makes Scala very efficient because intensive tasks don’t have to be executed right away so they are until they are needed.

In this example, the variable bigtask is initialized on the first line which is still not computed yet. The variable bigtask is evaluated at the end and only then it is actually computed and the value is returned.
Scala: Companion Objects
By: Micah Lewis
Tags: Case Classes, Scala, Objects, Classes

If you’re unfamiliar with Scala then you’ll likely come across and be confused by some code that looks like the following:

case class Rectangle (length: Int, width: Int) object Rectangle {

def area(rectangle: Rectangle) = rectangle.length * rectangle.width

} val r1 = Rectangle(3, 7) Rectangle.area(r1) //returns 21

Why do we have a class and object of the same name created together in the same file? The answer here is simple. In Scala, you can think of classes and case classes as the data storage, while its companion object is where you should add class methods and constructors.

While it is technically possible to just define the methods and constructors in the class or case class themselves, Scala recommends the use of a companion object for this.

A few other points to wrap up on:

Classes and their companion objects have access to each others private values and methods.

Classes / case classes and their companion objects must be declared in the same file and have the same name.

As always, if you spot an errors here or have questions, please don’t hesitate to let me know in the comments below.
Recursive methods in Scala
By: Donald Le
Tags: Programming, Recursive, Scala, Software, Functional Programming

Scala

Recursive methods in Scala

There is a lot of debates about functional programming vs object oriented programming. This post we will not discuss such thing. Instead we just go over how to do simple recursive functions in Scala.

In Object Oriented Programming, we usually mutate the value and therefore we often go with for loop or while loop. In functional programming, we will not use loops, instead we use recursive methods.

For example if we want to sum all the integers in the list, we can do like:

Or if we want to find the max value from the list:

Write some test to verify the methods

@Test def `sum of a few numbers (10pts)`: Unit = {

assert(sum(List(1,2,0)) == 3)

}



@Test def `max of a few numbers (10pts)`: Unit = {

assert(max(List(3, 7, 2)) == 7)

}

Alright that’s it.

Happy coding guys.

Thanks for reading my post.
The Yin and Yang of Scala: Any and Nothing
By: Ocean Blue
Tags: Programming, Scala

There are Yin and Yang in Scala.

The Yin:

Nothing: The sub type of all types, but have no instance.

Null: The sub type of all AnyRef type, with the only instance as null.

None: The sub type of Option. The singleton represents non-existent values.

Nil: The empty list object. Equivalent to List[Nothing].

Unit: The type of a function when it doesn’t return anything. Equivalent to void.

The Yang:
Delta with improved vacuum patch
By: Swapnil Chougule
Tags: Delta, Scala, Delta Lake, Spark, Data Lake

Delta 0.6.x with efficient vacuum (parallel deletion support)

Problem Statement:

Deltalake vacuum jobs are taking to long to finish as underneath file deletion logic was sequential. Known bug for deltalake (v0.6.1)

Ref: https://github.com/delta-io/delta/issues/395

Solution:

Deltalake team has resolved this issue & yet to be released stable version for this.

Pull Request: https://github.com/delta-io/delta/pull/522

Lot of organizations are using 0.6.x in production & want this to be part of 0.6.x.

Following are quick steps to generate delta 0.6.1 jar with this patch

Steps for Patch Creation:

Git clone deltalake repo v0.6.1

git clone — branch v0.6.1 https://github.com/delta-io/delta

2. Change Directory

cd delta

3. Compile, Build & Test Repo

build/sbt compile

build/sbt package

build/sbt test

4. Create & download patch

5. Apply Patch

git apply — 3way 522.patch

6. Resolve conflict in config file — DeltaSQLConf.scala — Keep both properties

val DELTA_CHECKPOINT_PART_SIZE = …

val DELTA_VACUUM_PARALLEL_DELETE_ENABLED = …

7. Re-compile, Build, Test:

build/sbt compile

build/sbt package

build/sbt test

8. Find the new jars

<root-dir>/target/scala-2.11/delta-core_2.11–0.6.1.jar

<root-dir>/target/scala-2.12/delta-core_2.12–0.6.1.jar

9. Pre-built Jars

Scala 2.11: delta-core_2.11–0.6.1.jar

Scala 2.12: delta-core_2.12–0.6.1.jar
Chisel3 on Mac
Tags: Scala, Verilog, Intellij Idea, Chisel, Mac

https://www.jetbrains.com/idea/download/#section=mac git clone https://github.com/ucb-bar/chisel-tutorial New Project

4. Choose scala/sbt

5. Type your project name, select scala version to 2.11.12 for stability.

6. Modify the build.sbt file. build.sbt file is like a build environment setup file. It manages the name, version, libraries.

Add this line to it: libraryDependencies += “edu.berkeley.cs” %% “chisel3” % “3.1.2”

7. rerun the sbt shell(Give it some time)

8. And you shell see: sbt:edu.berkeley.cs:chisel3…. in external libraries

9. Find FullAdder file in chisel-tutorial and copy it to main/scala/

10. type in the “object Main….”, and run it. You shell see FullAdder.v in the folder.

For more chisel3 tutorial please refer to: https://github.com/schoeberl/chisel-book

You will start to appreciate the power of chisel once you start learning it.

To Be Continued…
Scala 3: Intro To Union Types
By: Shankar Shastri
Tags: Scala 3, Scala, Functional Programming, Scala Programming, Dotty

What Are Union Types

A union type is a type whose value will be of a single type out of multiple types.

Example:

type UnionType = Type1 | Type2 | ... | TypeN

How To Use Union Types In Scala 3

To explain union types, I have picked up a small example as shown below in the Gist:

Option[T] Using Union Types

As part of the above example, let's understand how we can create Option[T] using Union type. An Option[T] is a type whose type will be a Some[T] or None, based on the value. If the value t is null, then it will be None else it will be Some[T], where T is the type of t value.

The below type demonstrates how we create a union type Option[T] using union types. Here it signifies that Option[T] can either be Some[T] or None type.

type Option[T] = Some[T] | None

The toOption function takes a parameter t of type T, and has Option[T] as the return type. We can notice that based on the value t of T type, if t is null it will end up with None else Some[T] type.

To run the program, we use the @main annotation on the method m. As part of the main function we are printing the results for toOption by passing null and a valid type. We can see that for null the result will be None and for the other, it will be Some[T].

References

Wrapping it Up

If you have suggestions that I missed above, let me know in the responses!

If you found this helpful, click the 👏🏻 so more people will see it here on Medium.
Akka — Overview — How stuff works
By: Kumar Nellipudi
Tags: Actor Life Cycle, Scala, Akka Actor, Akka, Akka System

Let’s try to understand Actor System first of all: Actor system is a container that inhibits collaborating methodologies such as scheduling tasks in background, tackles communication mainly, providing the platform to achieve concurrency and distribution, provides powerful control by configurations, and logging, etc…

“Actor” design:

Actor is a combination of state, behavior, child actors, supervision (exception handling) strategy, and a mailbox which contains messages. Note that an may always have mailbox with at least no messages. 1. An actor’s state is formed by possible set of variables denotes whats the current state of actor, can have listeners.. 2. Behavior is nothing but the way we use methods when a particular message received by an actor, in a precise view, the way we match the pattern when some action happened on an actor. 3.And yes it may contain child actors as well. 4. supervisor strategy is the ability to deal with different faults those may occur in real time. A declarative code for fault tolerance is here:

Behaviors.supervise(behavior).onFailure[IllegalStateException](SupervisorStrategy.restart)
Scala 3: Intro To Intersection Types
By: Shankar Shastri
Tags: Functional Programming, Scala, Scala 3, Dotty

What Are Intersection Types

An intersection type is a type that combines multiple types into one type. It represents values that are of multiple types at the same time.

Example:

type IntersectionType = Type1 & Type2 & ... & TypeN

How To Use Intersection Types In Scala 3

To explain intersection types, I have picked up a small example as shown below in the Gist:

MapReduce Using IntersectionTypes

In the above example, we find trait Mapper[A, B] which has a method map that maps a given list List[A] to List[B] by applying function f: A => B .

Then we have trait Reducer[A, B] which has a method reduce that reduces a List[A] to B by applying function f:(B, B) => B .

We can create an intersection type MapReduce as shown below, which can be used to perform both map and reduce:

type MapReduce[A, B, C >: B] = Mapper[A, B] & Reducer[B, C]

The mapAndReduce method has the following parameters:

Mapper[A, B] & Reducer[B, C] => Intersection type. List[A] => List on which map-reduce needs to be performed. mapFuncf => A Map function. reduceFuncf => A Reduce function.

We have also declared a case class MapperAndReducer which we will be using as a composite type in our mapAndReduce method.

To run the program, we use the @main annotation on the method m. As we can notice, we are printing the result of mapAndReduce, by passing a map function that multiplies by 2 and reduces the result of the map by summing the mapped list.

References

Wrapping it Up

If you have suggestions that I missed above, let me know in the responses!

If you found this helpful, click the 👏🏻 so more people will see it here on Medium.
Base 36 — Why & How its important ?
By: Ganesh Chandrasekaran
Tags: Decimal, Base10, Scala, AWS, Base36

Most of us are familiar with Binary, Octal, Decimal, Hexadecimal numbering system. Today lets learn about Base 36 number system and why its so cool.

Photo by Mika Baumeister on Unsplash

What is Base 36 ?

Binary consists of values 0 and 1

Decimal : 0 to 9

Octal : 0 to 7

Hex : 0 to 9 and A to F

Base 36 : (hexatridecimal) 0 to 9 and A to Z

Number 1000 is stored following way in

Binary = 1111101000

Decimal = 1000

Hex= 3E8

Base 36 = RS

Why Base 36?

Simple answer to “Save Space”.

How it saves space ?

An epoch time stamp 1602374487561 (14 characters long) will be converted to 8 character long Base 36 string “kg4cebk9”

Example : Processing 1 billion rows each hour for a day

Billion rows x 14 = 14 billion bytes = 14 GB x 24 hrs = 336 GB

Billion rows x 8 = 8 billion bytes = 8 GB x 24 hrs = 192 GB

There is a direct saving of 40% in storage.

Storage is cheap, but when data grows exponentially ? If the same has to be stored on Cloud like AWS S3 ?

Also, tools like AWS Kinesis has pipe limitation of 1 MB per stream, so these types of conversion will help to send more data through the pipe.

Every programming language has ways to Base 10 to Base 36 and vice versa. I find Scala to have the simplest syntax of all.

How To convert Base 36 to Decimal or Base 10 using Scala ?

// given value

val b36String : String = "kg4cebk9" // convert base 36 to decimal

val decNumber : BigInt = math.BigInt(b36String, 36) println(decNumber)

Scala — Convert base 36 to base 10

How To convert Decimal (Base 10) to Base 36 using Scala ?

// Long Big Integer in Decimal

// L is needed at the end of number denoting big int val decNumberNew : BigInt = 1602374487561L // convert decimal to Base 36

val base36StringNew : String = decNumberNew.toString(36) println(base36StringNew)

How to convert base 10 to base 36 using scala

How To convert Decimal (Base 10) to Base 36 using Python ?

$ pip install base36 $ python >> import base36 # Convert Number to Base36 >> base36.dumps(1602374487561) == 'kg4cebk9' # Convert Base36 to Number >> base36.loads('kg4cebk9') == 1602374487561

convert Decimal (Base 10) to Base 36 using Python

Wow !! its too good… any downside to this approach ?
A short guide to Blocker
By: Krzysztof Atłasik
Tags: Cats Effect, Scala, Threads, Functional Programming, Concurrent Programming

Prior to version 1.4.0 of cats-effect, there were two methods to shift threads.

Firstly, we can use IO.shift , which specifies that all effects coming after the shift should run on the execution context (or cats-effect’s ContextShift) provided as an argument.

After switching to blocking context we need to call IO.shift again to change back to the original thread pool. It gets even more complicated if blocking operation can raise an error. In this case, it’s essential to run the operation of shifting back to the original thread pool on finalizer.

Alternatively, we can use evalOn from ContextShift .

ContextShift is just a wrapper over ExecutionContext . It is required as an implicit argument by many concurrency-related methods from cats-effect API.

If you’re using IOApp to bootstrap your application, you probably noticed there’s already an instance of ContextShift in scope. It’s backed by execution context with a fixed number of threads. So it’s not the best fit for running IO‑bound tasks.

Method evalOn takes two arguments. The first is the execution context on which tasks will be executed. The second one is the effect to be run.

After executing operation context is switched back to the underlying thread pool of ContextShift .

Using that approach doesn’t require manual shifting back, but also has a drawback. Method evalOn is expecting a very general type of ExecutionContext . If you are using several execution contexts defined in your application it is possible to confuse them and execute blocking operation on a wrong thread pool.

You can read more on difficulties related to handling thread pool switching with cats‑effect in an article written by Adam Warski.

Using Blocker

To address the above-mentioned issues Blocker was introduced in cats-effect 1.4.0.

Blocker is just a data type that wraps ExecutionContext similarily as ContextShift . Its main purpose is to wrap a separate thread pool for running just blocking operations.

Blocker has method blockOn , which is similar to evalOn from ContextShift . Method blockOn executes effect on blocking thread pool, that is wrapped by Blocker . Then shifts backs to thread pool of implicit ContextShift being in scope.

As another option, you can use delay , which doesn’t take an effect, but a block of code producing a value. It works similarly to IO.delay but executes effect on blocking context.

You can also extract the underlying ExecutionContext of Blocker by just calling blockingContext .

Creating Blocker instances

Unlike ContextShift there’s no default Blocker provided by IOApp , so we will always have to create instances of Blocker by hand.

It is also advised to pass instances of Blocker explicitly instead of using them as implicit arguments. Quote from docs:

Instances of this class should *NOT* be passed implicitly because they hold state and in some cases your application may need different instances of Blocker.
We’re Hiring! Apply to be a Junior Advisor!
By: Gabriela Cervera
Tags: Hiring, Philanthropy, Jobs, Ngo, Charity

I.G. Advisors (I.G.) is an award-winning strategy consultancy specialising in social and environmental change. Our mission is to build the capacity of non-profits, businesses and philanthropists to achieve impact and growth — from grassroots organisations working tirelessly in their communities through to those seeking large-scale, systemic change. Our collective intelligence, unparalleled cross-sector network and hands-on team expertise makes us the advisor, partner and employer of choice, allowing our clients to better achieve their goals.

We do this at three levels: through our Strategies, developed through human-centred, and participatory approaches; our Activation work, where we provide direct, practical support to ensure our strategies are successful and responsive; and finally our Sector Transformation work, where we use our cross-sectoral knowledge and experience to deliver new ideas, projects and thought leadership to #FixTheFlow of resources for good. We’re based in London, have a global team, and clients on every continent.

We are a mission-driven firm, a certified B Corp and our values underpin everything we do:

· We are Dynamic: We move fast with care and bring energy and enthusiasm to all we do.

· We have Integrity: We have a fundamental responsibility to be honest, ethical and true to our values.

· We are Performance Driven: We aim to deliver the best work for our clients, partners and each other.

· We are Challenging: We won’t settle for the status quo. We constantly push our clients, and ourselves, to do better.
Book Drive for underprivileged students
By: Shah Rukh Khalid
Tags: Amal Academy, Book Drive, Philanthropy, Megaprojects

It has been a week since I have started an internship at Sunbeams Schools where they provide education to the underprivileged of Islamabad. The internship is being held online and we mostly have our discussions and meetings on zoom. While having discussions with their admin, I was told how books have become costlier and while the school runs on donations and grants by the government and public, they still have to do proper budgeting to operate.

I went through the list of books they needed and I realized that most of the books that were part of Sunbeams curriculum, were books we all have studied in the past as well.

Those books are really expensive and many underprivileged families can’t afford to buy them. Thus, I decided why not do a book drive.

Most of us have our olds books lying somewhere in the store. If not, we always have a little cousin who just passed out a grade. But that’s just the circle we know. In a book drive you get to target the circle out of your personal zone. Having fairs in universities and schools could have a much bigger impact if we get students to donate their olds books.

I was told by Sunbeams that they have also started a book drive, but they were still looking for interns that would do this job, as interns are enrolled in universities and school, thus they have a bigger circle and can get more books easily. They said, being a student of school or university is more helpful as the old books can old be extracted from these people

I never knew that the books that we threw around or just rip apart are of such value to some. After the online session with the Sunbeams officials, I felt guilty for just throwing away my books that I had in primary school. Maybe they could have been valuable to someone today.

My old A level book just lying there

I hope this idea is implemented. Even if it’s not, I have learned to value the books we study. In future if i ever go through any kind of book, i would have to keep them and donate it to someone else for whom it will also prove to be valuable as well.
Unequivocal Support
By: Dr. Fatima Imam
Tags: Self Improvement, Life, Philanthropy, Holidays, Poetry On Medium

No strings attached philanthropy might benefit the most deserving.

No questions asked policy is real philanthropy.

Measurable success is only possible with unconditional support.

Non-ambiguous strategies broaden quantifiable philanthropy.

Beneficiaries pave the way for overall growth beneficial for all.

Excessive amounts should noticeably flow into cash-crunched charities.

Genuine efforts to make funds available with complete transparency render results.

Dignified existence of every being is possible with equal distribution of resources.

© Fatima Imam
Crossing the Finish Line: Here’s What We Accomplished During Merry Week of Giving
By: Natalie Robertson
Tags: Holidays, Philanthropy

By Mandy Zavosky (Moug)

As we wrap up 2020, I’m thrilled to share that we’ve also closed out another fantastic Merry Week of Giving at Merritt Group. Despite shifting gears to accommodate a more virtual, socially-distanced world, we’ve been able to exceed our expectations raising more than $5,000 for No Kid Hungry.

Some key highlights this year included:

$5,000+ raised for No Kid Hungry

121 participants

16 states represented (CA, DC, FL, GA, IL, IN, MD, MI, MN, NJ, NY, OH, PA, TX, VA, and WI)

83.4 miles logged

Our fun didn’t stop with our Merrython! To round out our first all virtual Merry Week of Giving, we supported the following:

We are already counting down the days until Merrython 2021 and our next Merry Week of Giving! If you did participate in this year’s event, but haven’t shared your experience with us it’s not too late. Please tag #MerrittMerrython and Merritt Group on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram!

Wishing you a happy and healthy 2021!

Best,

The Merry Week of Giving Committee

Learn more about Merritt Group’s culture of giving.
Pre-election charity in Ukraine
By: Zagoriy Foundation
Tags: Ukraine, Charitable Giving, Philanthropy, Charitable Organization, Ukraine Philanthropy

According to the latest survey “Charity Before the Election”, pre-election charity is a real issue of Ukrainian third sector. Politicians often use charitable activities in their pre-election campaigns.

Naturally, the foundations that are set up or intensify their activities on the eve of elections are actively working throughout the entire pre-election cycle. But what is happening at this time to regular charitable foundations? Do they change their scope of activity?

Read an article on our latest report on Alliance magazine.
Tips for Volunteering in The New Year
By: Alexis Khazzam
Tags: Volunteering, Philanthropy

As we wind up 2020, we know you are busy setting new year’s resolutions. While popular new year’s resolutions revolve around keeping fit, another brilliant resolution should be volunteering your time in the new year. Setting resolutions is one thing, but sticking to your resolutions is another. Numerous people neglect or abandon their resolutions as the year ages.

In this blog, we will look at tips for keeping the volunteering spirit alive.

Be Precise

Saying you want to devote time to charitable causes is very broad. You need to specify precisely what you want to support. What type of challenges do you want to help in solving? Which agency do you want to work with? Knowing what you want as a volunteer will help you stay committed to your goals.

Develop Sub-Goals

Once you have established a specific goal, narrow it down to subgoals. Let the path to volunteering in the new year be free of obstacles. You may want to volunteer to derive a sense of gratification or to meet new people. Whatever your sub-goal is, make it count.

Be Realistic

Remember, you will be committed to other things, such as relationships, work, and school, to mention a few. Thus, it is imperative to schedule a specific time for volunteering. Avoid overdoing it so that you don’t neglect personal responsibilities.

Be Self-Sustaining

Volunteering goes a long way in fulfilling your inner needs. Committing your time to a noble cause benefits you both mentally and emotionally and helps in career development. Therefore, do it as if you are doing it for yourself.

Get A Friend

Volunteering with a friend is delightful and motivates you. Invite your friends and family to volunteer too. You will spend precious time together and encourage each other. Volunteer agencies will never turn away willing volunteers. For that reason, bring on board as many people as you can.

Enjoy

Engage in something that strikes happiness in your life. Time really flies when giving back to the community. Find a reason to be happy among the energized, enthusiastic people you will be working alongside. Doing something enjoyable will keep your volunteering spirit alive, and it will turn to be the most fun resolution you will ever make.

Whatever your aspirations are in the new year, we encourage you to donate your time and valuables. There is a position you can fill in the agency and perform exemplary.
Unique Ways to Give Back in the New Year
By: Steve Maleh
Tags: Philanthropy, Giving Back, Community

A strong community thrives because of the people who live in it. If the citizens care for the land in which they set their roots, they pay attention and strive to make it better.

Strong communities share time and resources to create a safe and comfortable home for every family. From repairing fences to feeding the hungry, there are to make life easier for those less fortunate.

When the new year begins, make a resolution to patch up someone’s window or donate clothes to a thrift shop. Soon you’ll see the place where you live become brighter and warmer for everybody.

Here are some ideas for giving back to the community where you live.

1- Help the Elderly

There are always elderly people who can no longer do such tasks as cleaning the gutters or trimming trees. You might get nothing in return but a thank you, but you’ll leave their house feeling satisfied that you have made a difference.

2- Donate Toys

In the winter, the holiday season can be difficult for people with limited resources-especially if they have children. This holiday season, dig your kids’ old toys out of the basement and donate them to the thrift shop.

3- Plant a Flower Bed

Suppose you see a spot in your community that looks devoid of color, plant flowers in that patch, and take care of them. Though flowers don’t last forever, they will lift the spirits of people who will walk past the garden, inspiring them to love their community and value it more.

4- Check on Neighbors

You might not be in close contact with all of your neighbors. Take some time now and then to say hello to those you’re not best acquainted with; they might need help, and you might have the solution that they need.

You might not stay in the same community forever, but if you spend time making it more robust, you will be at peace, having left on it a positive mark. Make a resolution to give back to your community this year; it will do you good to know you made a difference.
Women are Changing Philanthropy — Here’s How
By: Sylvester Knox
Tags: Women, Feminism, Philanthropy, Sylvester Knox

Philanthropy might suggest an image of a rich many giving out money to resuscitate his public image, but this is a stereotype that is rapidly changing in today’s day and age. Thanks to the stellar growth of women professionals in the recent decade, more and more female professionals have entered a stage of their life where they can more freely share their success with others in the world.

Much as women professionals have to exhibit unique ideas and ingenuity in order to succeed in the male-dominated industries they climb, they have to take the same approach to ingenious and clever philanthropic approaches.

Impact Investments

Historically, philanthropists have approached giving with a wide net. This approach resulted in small amounts of good across many charitable organizations, but the resulting impact was only so noticeable. Today, women are approaching philanthropy with much firmer goals and plans in mind. This focus on so-called impact investing is resulting in larger donations to fewer charities, which promotes specific causes more powerfully.

Many first-time philanthropists are more reactionary in their giving — responding to pleas in the mail or a fundraising event. These are excellent ways to begin getting involved, and are very direct forms of giving, but having a more structured plan for impact is worthwhile no matter who you are.

Championing a Cause

Many women are stepping into the spotlight in order to promote their causes even more than before. The 50th anniversary of Title IX’s establishment resulted in former college athletes endowing millions of dollars to promote the further success of young women’s collegiate scholarships and programs.

These were exceptionally impactful and visible philanthropic works, and they continue to promote further giving by providing the next generation with a strong source of connection and involvement. Women are forming much stronger connections to their philanthropic targets than those that have come before.

Growing Powerful

Compared to the past generation, twice as many high-net-worth women believe that being able to promote change is their standard for being ‘wealthy.’ Young Women are more and more focused on promoting change in the world, as well as continuing to build upon the change and good that the prior generations developed.

Originally published to sylvesterknox.org
Why Philanthropy is Good For Business
By: Tim Noonan
Tags: Philanthropy, Entrepreneurship, Tim Noonan Lockton, Business, Tim Noonan

Corporate philanthropy and social responsibility is win-win for companies on many levels as well as for the community at large. Of course, it improves your brand and it’s the right thing to do, which is why more companies today are ramping up their programs and making it a more thoughtful process and a priority. There’s also a more practical side to giving that can actually enhance a company’s growth strategy. The information below sheds light on why philanthropy is good for business.

Loyal Customers

There’s a reason why companies make their philanthropic endeavors public. Consumers like to support companies that give back. In fact, consumers — especially those in the younger generations — are more likely to support companies that have hearts and give to worthy organizations. Studies show that approximately 87% of consumers will purchase from a company that supports a cause they feel passionate about. And those consumers will often stick with brands that are doing good, even if a service or product costs more.

Better Recruiting

In addition to consumers wanting to support companies that are philanthropic, job candidates prefer to work for organizations that care, providing a larger and better pool of applicants. Many professionals would choose a company that gives back over one that doesn’t. Why? A company that cares by giving back is often a good indication of how it cares about its employees.

A Better Company Culture

One of the most common ways in which companies give is by promoting or sponsoring volunteer activities. Involving employees in the community not only ensures philanthropic actions will have local impact and meaning, it will lead to happier and more productive employees. Studies have shown that employees who work for companies that have a clear mission and engage with their communities feel better about their workplace and are more engaged.

Expanding Opportunities

Corporate philanthropy is most effective when it is tied to well thought-out social and business objectives and when it leverages a company’s strengths, namely, its resources, services and business acumen, to support charitable causes. It is also a powerful way to reach out and connect with like-minded business leaders in a wide range of industries. Making the right connections that cultivate mutual interests and respect can be an invaluable networking resource that leads to new opportunities, business prospects and lasting relationships.

Making charitable giving a standard practice is not only a genuine way to make the world a better place; it’s good for business too. As with other areas of business, it’s best to develop a solid strategy that aligns with your current initiatives and long-term goals.

Originally published on Tim Noonan Lockton’s website.
Who Am I To Change The World?
By: Veronica Haunani Fitzhugh
Tags: Help, Donations, Philanthropy, Mackenzie Scott, Supremacy

Photo by Diego PH on Unsplash

“Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.” Audre Lorde

I live in a country where people have to be taught not to hate me or threaten me or murder me.

This constant supremacy lie that I am not good enough starts to weigh on my spirit.

Yet, I still believe in America. And, at moments I believe America believes in me.

Would you believe in me?

MacKenzie Scott

https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-veronica-heal
Nonprofit Fundraising Relies on Trust
By: Launa Wilson
Tags: Nonprofit Management, Philanthropy, Nonprofit Fundraising

Photo by Cytonn Photography from Pexels

I recently read an article in the Chronicle of Philanthropy entitled “To Keep People Giving in the Pandemic, Trust in Nonprofits is Essential” (Segar, B., 2020). I won’t go into detail about the article’s arguments because the title sums up my thoughts perfectly: a nonprofit’s fundraising success is built upon a foundation of trust, and without that trust, the organization’s long-term financial sustainability will suffer.

Each day, nonprofit leaders work hard to attract and retain funding. If they’re savvy fundraisers, these leaders seek a broad range of support — from individual donors, from corporate partners, and from private foundations as well. They tell heartfelt stories about their missions, the people they serve and the differences they make in their communities. With a good mix of skill and luck, the funding arrives and the organization is able to sustain its work for another year.

But, regardless of a nonprofit leader’s story telling abilities, and regardless of a donors’ affinity, wealth, or interest, donors must have a measure of trust in the organization and the people leading it in order for gifts to become reality.

Trust is the reason a nonprofit board delegates authority to its executive director to oversee the organization’s daily operations. It is the reason that I’m always preaching about the importance of nonprofits being open and transparent in communicating with their donors. And trust is the reason nonprofits should value every gift they receive, as the people or entities making these gifts do so because they trust our organizations to be good stewards of their contributions.

It is a responsibility that I have taken very seriously in each role I’ve held in my twenty year nonprofit career.

In the coming year, my greatest wish for my friends in the nonprofit sector is that we continue nurturing relationships of trust with our existing donor bases and make positive strides to establish relationships with new donors. I use the word “relationship” intentionally, as good philanthropy is not a transactional business. Transactions are fickle; we should aim to sustain.

Be open, be honest, build trust, and the gifts will come.
Building the Future of Philanthropy Alongside the Jewish Federation
By: Robbie Heeger
Tags: Nonprofit, Charitable Giving, Philanthropy, Cryptocurrency, Donor Advised Funds

tl:dr — Endaoment has announced its partnership with the San Francisco Jewish Community Federation & Endowment Fund, offering cryptocurrency donations to its 1,100+ Donor Advised Fund accounts.

In a press release, Endaoment and the Jewish Community Federation & Endowment Fund unveiled a new partnership to bring cryptocurrency donation services to the Federation’s donor-advised fund program, which makes more than $200 million in grants annually to thousands of organizations around the Bay Area and beyond.

From the very beginning, the Federation has been an integral part of Endaoment’s journey. They have been a guiding light and critical resource throughout our formation, providing essential advice on all things related to running a donor-advised fund program.

Most importantly, in early 2020, the Federation enabled our team to deploy a proof-of-concept of our smart contracts and web application, paving the way for our own application for tax-exemption and independent public charity status.

Formalizing our partnership demonstrates our shared commitment to increase the connection between cryptocurrency investors, philanthropic donors, nonprofit organizations and public charities.

Together, we aim to address core criticisms of DAFs while adopting new technologies and asset types. At both Endaoment and the Federation, we’re committed to making the donor-advised fund experience revolve around getting capital into the programs and communities most in need of funding. We believe our technology can play a huge role in refocusing donors around grant making.

As our partnership continues, we’ll work to bring a slice of the $500+ billion in new cryptocurrency wealth to philanthropy, while simultaneously working to bring nonprofit organizations the technology and infrastructure benefits of cryptocurrency’s new financial ecosystem.

A huge thanks to the entire team at the Federation! We are so excited to keep building together.
How do I contact MacKenzie Scott and other wealthy philanthropists that donate????
By: Kandyce Hazard
Tags: Donate, Philanthropy, Contact Information, Question Answering, Mackenzie Scott

"How does one find contact information on people you don't personally know?" I wonder......

My story... Here I find myself alone during my first pregnancy, despite being planned. Now with COVID, I'm working, but not enough. The supervisor won't give me more hours in the week and I can't seem to get a second job right now. So, I know I need help. I pay my taxes, so its perfectly acceptable to apply for some temporary government assistance. Unfortunately, SNAP aka food stamps won't approve me, since I'm working part-time (10-20hr/wk) until AFTER the baby comes; I'm told. Also, a different program, WIC (Women, Infants, Children) tells me the assistance they'll provide for me AFTER baby comes will be exceptionally minimal. I'm talking 1 Lb of cheese a month, 1 gal of milk. So what else should I do? There are all these billionaires that are interested in giving away their money. I need help.... How do I contact any of them? I found a list online of the many wealthy people contributing to the "Giving Pledge", but all it lists is their names, picture, and a letter from them. You can't write TO them... How do I?????? I'd love to contact Mackenzie Scott, for example. HOW DO I DO THAT?
Rotary 100 — First community service project
By: Maury Thompson
Tags: Rotary International, Glens Falls, Philanthropy, Music, History

This is the latest in an occasional series of posts leading up to the centennial of the Glens Falls Rotary Club in April 2022.

The newly-formed Glens Falls Rotary Club in 1922 funded an expansion of the Glens Falls Boy Scout Band as the club’s first community service project.

“The Rotary Clubs throughout the country take a deep interest in boys and the local organization is no exception,” The Post-Star reported of the selection, announced at the club’s charter presentation meeting on June 1.

A few weeks later the club announced it would pay for music lessons for one year for beginning band members taking up the study of clarinet, trombone, bass horn or saxophone, and subsidize the purchase of instruments for needy families.

“Parents of boys have a golden opportunity to obtain for their sons a musical experience and training at little expense,” The Post-Star reported.

Families receiving assistance made a long-term commitment to musical study.

“Parents of Scout Band members are to be asked to sign an agreement that their boys will faithfully attend the band rehearsals and a weekly lesson for a period of one year. The boys will also be obliged to practice a stipulated number of minutes daily, and to play only music approved by the director.”

Rotary Club members viewed music as a character builder.

“Not only is a knowledge (of music) a source of pleasure, but it adds much to one’s prestige. It is often a valuable financial asset, and those who deal with delinquent boys testify that comparatively few boys that are interested in music get into trouble.”

Click here to read the most recent previous post in the series.
Six Things We Learned at the End of 2020
By: Philanthropy For Active Civic Engagement, Pace
Tags: Philanthropy, Learning, Civic Engagement, Pace Updates, Democracy

Every year, PACE hosts a series of gatherings for its members and we save one meeting for the end of the year. It provides a way for the PACE community of funders to reflect on the year, assess the state of civic engagement, and begin to put shape around priorities for the year ahead.

We convened our membership in early December, and after a year like 2020, this year-end meeting was unlike any other. We decided the best use of our time together as a community was to engage with this guiding thematic question: With the backdrop of all the crises this year revealed, the 2020 Election provided the latest stress-test for our country. What sense do we make of the health of our democracy and civil society? What can be celebrated? What should be further understood?

We tackled these questions with a listening and learning posture, and over two days, we hosted four sessions with the goal of deepening our understanding in key areas. The first session concentrated on the civic bright spots and the areas of celebration coming out of 2020, with a particular focus on unpacking the electorate that led to historic voter turnout through the lenses of generation, race, faith, and other demographics. The second session helped us be honest about the long-standing challenges that re-emerged this year by diving deep into understanding the influence of toxic polarization/hyperpartisanship and understanding anti-democratic tendencies such as disinformation, interference, suppression, and disenfranchisement. Next, we looked to a panel of experts to help us consider the philanthropic strategies and investments that made the biggest differences this year and what should not fall away as we move beyond 2020. Our last session took that conversation one step further by engaging PACE Members in a discussion about how we evaluate momentum for democracy-related work and how we sustain philanthropy’s interest and involvement in democracy over time, especially as we move away from the urgency created by the election season.

The speakers were provocative and the discussions were rich. As we reflect on this member meeting, many, many insights emerge. In no particular order, these are the six learnings from our member meeting that are sticking with us as we prepare to wrap up 2020 and look ahead to 2021:
Black Americans Donate More on Average Than White Counterparts
By: Kelli María Korducki
Tags: Donations, Philanthropy, Race

Black Americans Donate More on Average Than White Counterparts

Photo: Willie B. Thomas/Getty Images

Simply put, Black Americans are—and always have been—major philanthropists.

This reality may not mesh with the stereotypes and presumptions that are too frequently applied by outsiders to communities, writes Michelle Singletary in the Washington Post. Yet “despite structural racism and discriminatory practices that have blocked asset-building and wealth creation, Black people have always prioritized philanthropy,” according to an expert interviewed for Singletary’s story.

A joint 2012 study from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors found that Black households give away an average 25% more of their income per year than White ones. That same study showed that two-thirds of Black households donate to community-based organizations and causes.

This reality is echoed by the playwright Jeremy O. Harris, who recalled in a 2019 interview with LEVEL: “I gave my entire first check from Broadway to the Ali Forney Center so that I didn’t feel guilty. I read a study recently that women and people of color tend to donate their money, and White men tend to invest their money.”

As Singletary takes care to point out, that philanthropy culture doesn’t just account for charitable giving to community organizations and religious groups. It happens interpersonally, too.

“I know my life would have been far different if not for Black philanthropists — my grandmother who raised me, members of the various churches where I’ve been a member, Black community volunteers and activists — all of whom have given of their time, talent, and financial treasures,” Singletary writes.

“Most aren’t ridiculously rich, giving out of an abundance of assets they won’t miss,” she adds. “They are effecting change in their own communities. They are literally saving lives.”

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