Healthcare in this country is not meant for those who are sick. If you’re in good health, you are credited for that good health. The models in ads for health insurance and pharmaceuticals are smiling. All of them, pictured with good teeth, shiny and white, of course. You’re viewed as deserving, as lucky, as having […]
About Pilar Gonzales
The Season of Giving Differently
I’ve now been a fundraiser for 25 years and a donor for much longer than that. I remember when I was invited to sit on a panel with a couple other major donors of color, and I was asked if I’d change anything about how I was asked for money. I said, “Yes, absolutely.” The […]
The Others
Recently I was walking on the platform at a subway station. I didn’t knock into anyone, nor did I ask anyone to move. I just put myself in the queue, like all the other worker bees. A woman grazed me as she hurried past me, bumping my cane and almost forcing me to fall. I […]
A haiku about money
Piled high, folded neat I hear money call to me Pilar, save me … please
Give anonymously or openly? One woman’s family story
I’m in the field of philanthropy. I not only advise on fundraising with organizations but I also advise donors on how best they can give away their money. It’s a great marriage of reciprocity and I’m honored to do this work. I love seeing the transformative effect on people who share their money with the […]
