Generation BIG

Betty Chinn – Homeless in China to a Hero in the USA

Tom Ruwitch — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 22:24:18 +0000

The seeds for Betty Chinn’s BIG journey took root in Communist China where she experienced extraordinary misery and family tragedy. Her parents were medical doctors and intellectuals at a time when the Communist regime persecuted free thinkers. Her dad fled; her mom was imprisoned. Betty

BIG People are “Leapers,” Not “Ladder-Climbers”

Tom Ruwitch — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 17:02:21 +0000

In order to be bold, innovative, and generous (BIG), you have to adopt a BIG mindset. The subtitle of our book, is “Rising Tide of Dreams to Action.” First comes the dream, then comes the action. It’s easy enough to dream, but what about action?

A New Definition for “BIG Business”

Tom Ruwitch — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 14:05:40 +0000

Is your business BIG? I don’t mean BIG in the sense of giant — like GE or IBM or Microsoft. I mean BIG as in bold, innovative, and generous. Whether you run a five-person operation out of a single room or a Fortune 500 behemoth

Katie Spotz – Rowing for Water

Tom Ruwitch — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 16:32:57 +0000

Now that she’s caught her breath after rowing her boat across the ocean, it’s time for Katie Spotz to give back. In March, Spotz completed her 70-day, 2,817-mile solo journey across the Atlantic from Senegal on the west coast of Africa to Guyana on the

BIG Ideas: The Giving Pledge

Tom Ruwitch — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 14:40:43 +0000

Earlier this week. Warren Buffett announced that 40 of the wealthiest families or individuals in America have made “The Giving Pledge” to donate at least half their wealth to charitable causes. Buffett and Bill and Melinda Gates launched The Giving Pledge program earlier this year

“Board Engagement” – A BIG Perspective

Tom Ruwitch — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 03:33:08 +0000

As we’ve often discussed, fund raising is far easier and more effective if you can tap into donors’ hearts so, for them, giving is an act of fulfillment, an act of feeding their passion. If you can connect their hearts and nurture their passion for

Who are the bigger heroes: Baseball all-stars or no-names who do BIG Things?

Tom Ruwitch — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 03:53:22 +0000

A lot of big businesses have launched initiatives to encourage and celebrate BIG (bold, innovative, and generous) people or organizations. Pepsi has it’s Refresh Project. Chase has the Community Giving program. American Express has the Members Project®. My favorite is People Magazine’s All-Star’s Among Us.

Frank McKinney’s “Tap Moment” and BIG Journey

Tom Ruwitch — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 13:08:35 +0000

Frank McKinney’s BIG journey began with a newspaper picture of a needy man. A successful real estate “artist” and creator of some of the most magnificent oceanfront homes on speculation (he just finished Acqua Liana the world’s largest and most expensive certified green home at

A Must-See Video: Entrepreneurs Can Change the World

Tom Ruwitch — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 03:24:39 +0000

I met and connected with a great, BIG person today — entrepreneur Ileana Kane — who turned us on to this video. Turn on your computer’s audio, turn up the volume, and check it out. Wondering what it means to be BIG? Looking for inspiration

What’s in a Name? Bad News for “Nonprofits”

Tom Ruwitch — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 23:16:53 +0000

A few weeks ago, I spoke before a group of nonprofit administrators about how to raise money and market their organizations more effectively. I had recently given a similar presentation to for-profit marketing directors and was using those slides as the foundation for my speech