A Goodwill Win-Win

Waterkeeper event @ Barbra's house

I spent the last twenty plus years working for the benefit of not-for-profits in the USA. First as a volunteer at  my sons’ school (which is pretty ironic since it was a very exclusive private school and always looked pretty prosperous if not profitable to me!), in my community with the Junior League, at our parish church, and for various other charities that were important to me over the years.

After I completed a Fundraising Certificate from New York University’s School of Philanthropy, I worked in development for (very little) pay for environmental charities such as Waterkeeper Alliance (Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is the founder and President of the Board of Trustees) in NYC and Reeves Reed Arboretum in Summit, NJ. I plan to volunteer while I am here in South Africa, especially since I do not have working papers. I am thinking it might be for some animal rights initiative to help stop animal poaching or some other evil threatening the wild animal population here.

and one with Ethel and her son Bobby Kennedy(and a Lexus VIP)

That was how I found Jenna Clifford and a goodwill initiative she supports, StopRhinoPoaching. Jenna Clifford is a very talented and accomplished jewelry designer here in Joburg. As a matter of fact, her studio is right down the street from me in Morningside.  She has created a beautiful line of jewelry and homeware products which bear a specially designed logo featuring a rhino horn in profile. A portion of the sale price of the pieces in the line supports anti-poaching activities and unemployment in South Africa. 

Now this has always seemed like the greatest marriage ever in the world of fundraising. You get a beautiful piece of jewelry (my Achilles heel) and at the same time, you get to assuage your guilt about buying it by supporting an important cause. Win-win!