Celebrating the Philanthropist in All of Us

The Centennial initiative will celebrate and inspire more people to do good for our community.

As our region’s community foundation, The Chicago Community Trust is built upon the belief that all people possess an inherent drive to make an impact and leave a legacy on their community and others. And if every resident, at every level acts on that desire, we have the power to achieve and maintain greatness. That core belief is part of our origins and is the blueprint for our Centennial initiative.

Nearly 100 years ago, Norman and Albert Harris recognized greater good could be achieved by working together. They convened business and community leaders who cared deeply about the future of the region they loved – metropolitan Chicago and pooled their resources to maximize charitable impact. At that moment, The Chicago Community Trust was born.

That is the Trust Centennial at its core: recognizing the power of philanthropists. Your commitment to this region shows that philanthropy is as much the soup kitchens and clothing drives, as it is million-dollar donations. Philanthropy is even the simple act of shoveling snow from your neighbor’s driveway. Our Centennial is a celebration of you, the commitments you make and the actions you take to improve this region. Through engaging civic programming, and powerful stories of everyday people making a difference, we want to redefine philanthropy and inspire Chicagoland to become the most generous and philanthropic region in the nation.

Our region is unlike any other. History, ingenuity, duty and determination reverberate throughout our streets. One hundred years of collective impact. You—the dreamers, the doers, the instigators—made that possible. On our 100th anniversary, the Trust hopes our civic pride and collective achievements motivate and inspire us all to do more. The Chicago Community Trust Centennial is more than a celebration. It’s the start of a movement to reimagine philanthropy and make our region the most generous and compassionate in the nation. We invite you to join us.

Launching the Centennial with a region-wide dialogue about philanthropy

We kicked off the Trust Centennial with On the Table 2015. On May 12, more than 25,000 residents gathered around 2,000 tables throughout the region to discuss what philanthropy means to them, envision a Chicagoland at its best and how we can all work together to make it happen.

This second annual On the Table initiative build on last year’s inaugural On the Table where residents shared their ideas for our region and called for more collaboration, commitment and civic engagement. The Trust received nearly 1,000 ideas for improving communities around the region. Those ideas were narrowed down to six and sparked a new project for us, “Collaboratories.” For nearly a year, these six groups have been working to move these powerful ideas into action. This year’s mealtime conversations were designed to answer last year’s call and spark a yearlong campaign to inspire the philanthropist in all of us.

Redefining philanthropy

From May 2015 – May 2016, share and amplify your stories of generosity, compassion and social conscience in all forms: time, treasure and talent. Post your stories to your social media channels using the hashtag #Trust100. We’re working with Chicago Independent Radio Project (CHIRP), Free Spirit Media, KurtisProductions, StoryCorps, Vocalo, The Moth and others to collect and promote these stories through www.cct.org, our own social media channels and more. Your stories will encourage others to call upon their inner philanthropist and make a difference.

Reflecting on community, civic engagement and the impact of philanthropy

The Trust is supporting a wide range of substantive, thought-provoking events and programs throughout the year. Our Impact Chicago series for donors will explore themes of civic engagement, collaboration and philanthropy. We will partner with Chicago Public Library’s One Book, One Chicago program; Chicago Ideas Week; and the Chicago Humanities Festival in fall 2015 to continue the conversation on citizenship, civic engagement and our region’s future. We’ll share more details about these exciting programs in the month to come!

Inspiring philanthropy close to home

In our Centennial year and beyond, the Trust is committed to sparking the next generation of philanthropists. In April 2015, we partnered with Free the Children to encourage, engage and empower young people to become active local and global philanthropic citizens. Additionally, the Trust is partnering with Chicago Cares to work with local leaders and encourage community members to volunteer for group service projects unique to community needs.

Measuring our region’s philanthropy activity

We want to make our region the most philanthropic in the nation. We know this is ambitious, but collectively, we are well on our way to achieving it. The Trust commissioned a first-of-its-kind Giving in Chicago study with the help of Indiana University’s Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. Published in April 2015, the study provides valuable insights into giving in our region. Giving in Chicago reveals Chicagoans are generous, with more than 73% of households donating to nonprofit organizations; and we are more likely to give, ranking higher than other U.S. households.

Looking ahead to a second century of commitment

Our Centennial is the ideal time to honor the commitment of the countless donors, grant recipients and other community champions that have helped make our region strong — but equally important, it is a time to reaffirm our commitment to this region to measurably improve the quality of life and the prosperity of our region. The Trust will also host its annual State of the Community event on October 7, 2015 to share its new strategic priorities and inspire a second century of philanthropy.