Recap: Giving Beyond Your Bank Account

Here in Indy, philanthropy and community service is built into our DNA. That’s why one of our program’s three core pillars is GIVE BACK TO INDY! Over the next few weeks, you can attend workshops about giving back during our Philanthropy Friday events.

For our first Philanthropy Friday, we invited Una Osili to speak to our Indyfluence interns about the many ways you can give back to your community! Una is the Associate Dean for Research and International Programs at Indiana University’s Lilly Family School of Philanthropy—the world’s first school of philanthropy! She’s also an internationally renowned expert in philanthropy and economics, providing a unique global perspective on charitable giving.  And Una’s friendly, positive presence made her talk both educational and effortlessly enjoyable. All in all, her expertise made for an extremely impactful way to end the first week of Indyfluence 2021!

After a warm welcome and a quick introduction, Una answered questions from our host—Indy Hub President Blake Johnson—about her background and what made her interested in philanthropy. Una revealed that her love of giving back started at an early age, when her parents encouraged her and her siblings to volunteer whenever they could. When it came time for her to set out on her own, Una continued volunteering during her undergraduate years, and she never really stopped! Then, Una gave our interns a sneak preview of the 2021 Giving USA report, sharing the major takeaways from this past year of giving!

For the rest of the workshop, Una directly answered questions from the interns at the event. She reminded our interns that everyone has the ability to be a philanthropist in some way, shape, or form. In her words, “all of us have something to give,” whether it be our time, our talent, or our treasure.

During this time, Una also talked about the power of one’s voice as a form of philanthropy. More and more, advocacy is being recognized as a way to give back to our community, and Una reminded participants that they can speak up for important causes. She also told our interns to take risks while they’re young and find ways to get involved. As she explained, “everyone must start somewhere,” and everything helps in the grand scheme of things, whether you’re volunteering one day a month or one hour a day! 

We were honored that Una took the time to talk to our Indyfluence interns about the impact they can make in our community. As young adults, it may seem difficult to give back, but Una truly taught us that there are several ways to give beyond your bank account!