on the things that matter most.
Among her latest and most impressive accomplishments happened earlier this
year when she founded The Philanthropist
Next Door, a classic example of social entrepreneurship that exemplifies the best of her
generation.
We wanted to learn more about this
exciting organization and how it is making a
difference for those it serves. Imagine our surprise when we learned one of her goals was
to breakdown some negative perceptions of a
label fundamental to giving.
HimPower Magazine: What type of
organization is The Philanthropist Next Door?
Ebony Perkins: The Philanthropist Next
20 HimPower December 2016
Door is a new website and blog to support
giving. The purpose of the site is to encourage the average person to give and to teach
them to do so in a safe and responsible way.
Through this site, I help others use their
resources to make a difference and create the
change they hope to see. I do this by offering
tools and tips to support all types of philanthropists—the virgin who wants to learn more
before testing the waters and the veteran
philanthropist who wants to take her giving to
the next level.
HimPower Magazine: How did you get
interested in starting this type organization?
Was there a defining moment or event that
triggered the idea?
Ebony Perkins: I created The Philanthropist Next Door because many people
want to give, but they don’t know where
to start. Typically, the philanthropists who
receive advice and support are wealthy and
affluent. This is unfair! I want to help the
philanthropists who don’t fit that description
but still want to give to the causes and organizations they care about.
I remember having dinner with some
friends over a year ago and one of the girls
who was there described a group of women
she didn’t like. In addition to other names,
she called them philanthropists, as if it were a
derogatory term. I realized then that she only
associated philanthropy with people who were
well off and pretentious—a group she clearly
did not identify with.
After this conversation, I realized that
she wasn’t the only person who felt this way