Historically, nonprofit organizations have played an important role in helping to shape the meaning and application of citizens’ rights. Through advocacy, education, and litigation, nonprofits have helped to define and defend our democratic values when they have come under attack.

There are many opportunities to support – financially and with one’s time — organizations that advocate for the essential precepts embodied in our founding documents. Among these are local, regional and national nonprofit organizations that work tirelessly to promote and insure:

  • The ability to follow the faith of one’s choice, including no faith at all;
  • The restriction on government promotion of any particular faith;
  • The separation of church and state;
  • Equal treatment under the law;
  • A free press;
  • Freedom of speech;
  • The right to assemble and peacefully protest;
  • The right to privacy;
  • The right to vote;
  • The right to bear arms;
  • Protection against cruel and unusual punishment;
  • The right to due process and the assistance of counsel;
    and more.

Think not only about where you can meet the immediate needs of your community — but also where you also can invest to ensure the endurance of our democracy.  Philanthropy can be a deeply optimistic act — reflecting the belief that we can have a positive impact on our own lives, on the lives of others, and on vital societal issues.

Read the full article about philanthropy and democracy by Bruce DeBoskey at the National Center for Family Philanthropy.