Member-to-Member: Blake M. Roney

Doing Good While Doing Well
Blake M. Roney

 I believe that almost everyone likes to help others, serve others, be philanthropic, I certainly do.  As a Trailbalzer, I know we will do our most good by offering people opportunities to help others rather than begging and shaming them into giving.  I think people respond better to being able to do good while doing well. Besides, straight up begging is not very efficient or enjoyable. So let’s make it fun, make it rewarding, make it fit with people's plans, values, and goals, and we will have created  a leveraged opportunity to do good.

It is a very difficult thing to sort out and prioritize charitable opportunities. Most are good, some are simply better than others (according to your own values, etc.). It can be difficult to hand a dollar to a high school band if you could use that same dollar to save a child's life by giving one more meal.  The natural response is,“Why not do them all?” Of course, it ends up that no one can afford to do them all so you have no choice but to prioritize. This leads to the next hard thing, which is being strong enough to say no to the lower priorities.

Most people hate to say no, especially philanthropic people. So, most people need an organization that is trained in saying no in order to keep the giver from being miserable. If you can find a person or group that can organize and execute your giving and your values in a non-offensive manner, you can enjoy the joy of giving without the significant stress of not being able to fulfill all requests. Having someone like Operation Kids Foundation to play that role, in addition to making charitable donations more efficient, is a dream come true.

Now, periodically, I love to include my children in the analysis and process of determining our priorities for giving. I love to involve them in the entire experience including looking into the faces of those we get to help. It is the ultimate teaching experience to have them see and feel a live story and the resulting feelings and goodness. Beware, however, you may cause your children to want to be full-time charity people which can significantly cut into their ability to give in the future.  (mostly joking).

Lastly, just one example of the kind of charitable opportunities I like. We are in the process of introducing a new franchise restaurant in Utah, likely to be called “Malawi's Pizza.” It will be healthier pizza but, the more interesting concept is that for every meal we sell, we will provide a nourishing meal to starving orphans in Malawi, Africa, where I have focused a considerable amount of my philanthropic efforts. No doubt the charitable focus of our restaurant will mean less monetary profit. But the food will taste great and for our patrons, the experience will be good both physically and spiritually, for as they enjoy the food they will also enjoy helping others. This should be a fun and successful venture. At least we will help a lot of people by trying. Next time you are in Utah, I invite you to stop by and have a taste!

With the possible exception of a few truly bad and selfish people out there, humanity loves to help. If we can help them to help, we will have helped three people: the donor, ourselves, and the intended beneficiary. You have to admit, I used the word “help” a lot in that sentence.

Enable, empower and invite others to help. It's the nicest thing you can do for them. As a foundation, we should not shame, embarrass or pester others into helping as the most we will get is a token donation intended to get rid of us, only to have to start over endlessly.

In my own philanthropic efforts, I have learned to adjust the opportunity until it can stand above the rest as a valid first-priority for doing good, or at least make it a strong public relations opportunity, as that also motivates and inspires people to give. And I say any reason that causes people to give is a good reason. Anything else is noise and stress and heavy lifting.

Anyway, helping is fun, but not until you have been tricked into doing it.  Let's all keep on tricking!

Blake M. Roney is the Co-founder and Chairman of Nu Skin Enterprises, one of the largest direct selling companies in the world and a new member of Operation Kids Foundation's Trailblazer Advisory Board.