Owing to the need for finding an appropriate philanthropic organization to invest in, I hereby provide a recommendation of the most appropriate organization. I will discuss two possible organizations to fund, and between the two, recommend the best. These two organizations are Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (Gates Foundation) and Make-A-Wish Foundation. Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (Gates Foundation) is a private philanthropic foundation that was founded by the chairperson of the Microsoft Corporation Bill Gates together with his wife Melinda. The roles of the foundation include provision of quality healthcare and reduction of poverty around the world. Moreover, the foundation strives to improve education and access to information technology in America.
The foundation is concerned about the welfare of people in developing countries. For that reason, the Gates Foundations aim is to improve the livelihood of people in developing countries by helping them to fight diseases and poverty. On the other hand, Make-A-Wish Foundation is a philanthropic organization that takes care of children with life-threatening medical conditions. The organization’s aim is to make the wishes of such children come true. In order for a child to qualify for help from this organization, it is important for a physician to prove that the child has a life-threatening medical condition. The family of Microsoft Corporation’s founder Bill Gates founded the Gates Foundation in the year 1997. Initially, the corporation was referred to as the William H. Gates Foundation, and had a financial portfolio of US$94 million.
However, as the foundation expanded and merged with smaller organizations, its name was changed to Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The organization was renamed in the year 2000 after incorporation of the Gates Learning Foundation that was established to improve the quality of education. In 2008, Bill Gates resigned from active leadership at Microsoft Corporation in order to dedicate his time to managing the Gates Foundation.
In 2010, The Commission of Education of Health Professionals was created as a constituent of the Gates Foundation to educate health professionals and thus improve delivery of quality health services. The Make-A-wish Foundation was founded in the year 1993 after the death of James Greicius who had Leukemia. He had a dream of becoming a police officer but his condition presented numerous obstacles. Tommy Austin, a customs police officer helped Greicius make his dream come true. He made arrangements that gave Greicius an opportunity to live his dream life for a day. The experience was aimed at lifting the mod and spirits of Greicius. Even though he did not live to pursue his dream career, his wish came true. After this incident, the Make-A Wish Foundation was founded to fulfill the wishes of children living with threatening medical conditions.
The table below compares the two organizations with regard to their annual income, investments, and people they serve.
Our company should give the money to Gates Foundation because of the scope of its activities than run across many sectors in the world. On the other hand, it has received international accolades for excellent work and financial accountability. The Foundation’s mission statement is to improve the lives of people by improving their health and empowering them to eradicate poverty. This is important especially in developing countries that experience widespread poverty and high mortality rate due to prevalence of diseases like AIDS and Malaria. In 2006, the Gates Foundation was split into two in order to improve its efficiency.
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation trust manages the assets of the foundation while the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation assigns donations to various charitable organizations. The prospects of the foundation are bright because several billionaires have promised to give large portions of their wealth to the foundation. Berkshire Hathaway chairperson and founder Warren Buffet promised to give a large portion of his wealth to the Gates Foundation. The Gates Foundation has donated a lot of money to programs that fight diseases in developing countries. It has given more than $86 million for the eradication of poliomyelitis in Africa. This amount caters for 17% of the world’s budget for eradicating polio. By 2012, the foundation had given more than $1.3 billion for the fight against Tuberculosis, AIDS, and Malaria across the world.
The organization’s goal of fighting diseases is evident from the contributions made for research. It has donated more than US$287 million to organizations that conduct research on HIV and AIDS. The Foundation has done a lot with regard o improving global health. I our organization should give the money to the Gates Foundation because of the scope of its charitable activities. The Make-A-Wish Foundation is also an international charity organization. However, it has a narrow scope because its donations and activities target young children with life-threatening medical foundations. In contrast, the Gates Foundation targets all populations that are at risk of diseases that cause high mortality in developing countries. The organization targets two main aspects of growth and development in any country.
These vital aspects include health and education. For instance, the organization donates a lot of money to developing countries because diseases like Malaria and AIDS cause high mortality rates. The structure of the Foundation comprises three programs that include Global Health Program, Global Development Program, and the United States Program. Under the Global Development Program, the Gates Foundation has given grants to many developing countries. In order to improve its efficiency, the organization funds several charitable organizations that promote development in developing countries.
Examples of organizations funded by the Gates Foundation include Financial Access Initiative, Grameen Foundation, Alliance for Financial Inclusion (AFI), and Pro Mujer. The Gates Foundation also donates money to special initiatives. For example, the foundation funds exploration programs that involve improvement of water, sanitation, and hygiene projects around the world. For instance, during the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, the Foundation donated more than US$3 million to several organizations that include World Vision, Mercy Cops, Save the Children, CARE International, and International Rescue Committee.
We have arranged a meeting scheduled for 3 pm on March 20th in order to explore the issue at length. The main agenda of the meeting will be to discuss why our organization should invest in the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. A thorough discussion of the merits of the foundation will demonstrate the reason for the recommendation. Our department looks forward to discussing the aforementioned decision during the meeting.