What if there was something you really, really wanted to do – but you realized that you did not have the resources to accomplish the goal? This happened to me a couple of years ago when I wanted to start a new charity. At first I thought that I could do it myself, but I came to realize that was an illusion – I did not have the right combination of money, time and skills to make it so.

In retrospect I think that the Greek mathematician Archimedes was right. More than 2000 years ago he said, “Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world.” Here is what I learned on my journey about moving the world and using leverage.

The word leverage means to lift up and accomplish more. In the financial area, leverage means using OPM – Other People’s Money – to accomplish our own objectives. Then the money is paid back.

Sometimes leverage has a negative connotation. Just before the Great Depression, when stock prices suddenly collapsed, some speculators who had borrowed huge sums to buy stock on margin lost everything.

But borrowing is an extremely important part of our economy and our lives. We borrow to purchase a home; businesses borrow to purchase equipment, hire employees, finance sales campaigns, etc.

I did not want to borrow money or jeopardize my own financial situation to start the charity.
Furthermore, I had limited time to spend on a project like this. My life was already busy, as I suspect yours is also. I could not borrow additional time and pay it back later. The minutes come and go; then they are gone forever.

I came to realize, however, that I could leverage my time, if I used OPT – Other People’s Time… and OPS and OPI – Other People’s Skills and Ideas.

I communicated my passion for the new charity and found others who were willing to work with me on this project.

I found another volunteer, Eric Bressler, and an established charity – Jewish Family and Children Services and its staff (Judy Halper, the Development Officer, and Jerry Waldman, the CEO). Together we recruited and developed a Committee of volunteers.

Over these last two years each person on the Committee contributed their own time, skills, and ideas…. and their money as well. Plus each person had their own network of individual contacts, belonged to a variety of organizations and helped to spread the message. The effect was still more time and money available and more free loans that we could make.

The End Result…

The charity is thriving and people with serious needs for money are being helped. Through leverage of my money, time, skills and ideas, we have accomplished far more than I ever thought possible.

Think about your own passions. If you focus and use leverage, you can move the world, or at least make the world a better place for us all.

Thank you for your generosity.

This year was our seventh annual charitable match. Personal thanks to everyone who is helping to make the world a better place. Here is a list of our clients’ favorite charities in 2004:

• Adath Jeshurun: Siegel-Jacobs Fund
• AFS – USA Inc.
• Alzheimer’s Association
• Bertha Stebens Children’s
• Theatre Foundation
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Rice County
• Bob Allison Ataxia Research Center
• Circle of Friends Humane Society
• City Songs c/o University of Minnesota School of Social Work
• Edina Education Fund
• Grant County Food Shelf
• Holy Name Church
• Humane Society of Rice County
• Jewish Family and Children’s Service of Minneapolis
• Jewish Family Service of St. Paul
• Jewish Free Loan Program of Minneapolis
• Mazon
• Minneapolis Jewish Day School
• Minneapolis Jewish Federation
• N.C. Little Memorial Hospice (2)
• Opportunity Village
• Sharing and Caring Hands (2)
• The Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation
• The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research
• The Sheldon Theatre Brass Band
• Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity
• United WAY

Each of you was able to leverage your own contribution through our match. The total, including our match, was $3,242.00 this year.