One of the greatest philanthropists in history, Melinda French Gates has dedicated her life to giving back to the world. Now she’s teaching how you can identify your own unique assets—time, money, specific skills, or even your voice to discover a strategic path that can turn your power into progress.

Syllabus

Meet Your Instructor

Founder of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Pivotal Ventures, Melinda is one of the world’s most prolific philanthropists. She tells the story of her success and lays out the framework for a class on using what you have to make the greatest impact for others.

Let Your Values Guide Your Giving

Melinda encourages members to tap into their personal values in order to find causes that align with their personal goals and beliefs.

Melinda’s Journal: Korogocho, Tanzania, 2014

In this page from her journal, Melinda describes the experience of visiting a Tanzanian village where education is prized.

Identify Your Resources

Learn how to uncover your personal resources, including time, money, your voice, or expertise—and use them to make an impact for others.

Forms of Philanthropic Giving

Understand the different forms of philanthropic giving and discover where you may want your own giving to fit in.

Connect Through Curiosity

Melinda encourages members to get curious about their recipients and to form connections that will make their work resonate.

Melinda’s Journal: Kolkata, India, 2004

In this entry from her diary, Melinda recounts her visit to a village of Indian sex workers and how the experience helped her understand women’s empowerment more deeply.

Pick an Issue That Resonates

Join Melinda in thinking about both your personal passions and your community’s needs in order to pick an issue you’d like to get involved with.

Think, Test, Do: A Research Framework

Melinda lays out a framework that will help you in researching and activating your giving endeavors.

Name Your Giving Goals

What gets measured gets done. In this lesson, Melinda encourages members to set goals in order to quantify and qualify their successes.

Melinda’s Journal: Durham, North Carolina, 2009

In this entry from her journal, Melinda describes her visit to a school in North Carolina where one student shares how he’s inspired to give back.

There Is No Soft Data

When it comes to giving, both qualitative and quantitative data can provide deeply valuable information. In this lesson, Melinda teaches how to use data to understand needs in the community and define your goals and measurements for success.

Identify Barriers to Break Them Down

Melinda describes the types of barriers that may arise in your endeavors, and ways to think strategically about how to break them down.

Good Partnerships Are Invaluable

Learn about the value of collaboration in giving and the roles strong partners can play in helping you to achieve your goals.

Empathetic Giving

Melinda talks about the importance of learning about others’ lives in order to truly understand their needs.

Melinda’s Journal: Berkeley, California, 2019

Melinda visits a Berkeley, California, program that empowers young women.

Learn From Failure

Making an impact is hard. Melinda encourages you to fight through your struggles when contributing to a cause.

Taught by

Melinda French Gates

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