We define the nonprofit, or third, sector and explain why it is important as an alternative power structure.
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Unit: Power to the People through Action
Unit: Giving to Others (Tzedakah) (Private-Religious)
This lesson will teach Maimonides’ (Rambam’s) Eight Levels of Charity as quoted in the Mishneh Torah, his book of Jewish laws and concepts. The learner will understand the Eight Levels of Charity, the reasons behind the hierarchy, and how these levels apply to today’s...
Unit: Constitution Day
Students identify the components and rationale behind the Constitution, with a particular emphasis on philanthropy. This lesson is designed for Citizenship/Constitution Day (September 17) and connects students to the community-building focus of the Constitution and how it relates personally to...
Unit: Food for Thought Middle School Unit by the Westminster Schools
For students to choose a cause to which they have a personal connection and write letters to advocate for change.
Unit: Character Education: Perseverance (Grade 7)
Learners use a decision-making model to identify the issues they feel most concerned about. With those in mind, they explore how perseverance and doing their personal best are more effective ways to address needs than looking at the short term.
Unit: Exploring the Timeline of US Philanthropy
In this lesson, the learners tell stories of two events in history: a current event from their own point of view and an earlier significant event shared by an older friend or relative. They compare and evaluate how philanthropy responded to each event as well as how they each disrupted...
The Free Breakfast for Children Program of the 1960s exemplified mutual aid and differed from traditional charity while still being a form of philanthropy. We discover and learn how the people of a community most affected by issues, including young people, are sometimes the most able to...
Unit: Stitch in Time for the Common Good
Learners explore that government and non-profit organizations together help bring about breakthroughs in modern science and medicine. These contributions to the common good require the support of philanthropists, large and small.
Unit: Generosity of Spirit Folktales
Learners explore character traits and life lessons through folktales from various American cultures. The stories illustrate the impact of "paying a debt forward" rather than "paying it back."
There are times when a person learns that it is better not to give a generous gift at all if it will be disrespected by the receiver. There are also times a person may realize too late that there is a cost for bad behavior.