Speaker Illuminates the Impact of Giving

Entrepreneur and philanthropist Philip Berber captivated an audience of donors in New York City on May 20 as he told of bringing wealth and business acumen to the mission he now shares with his wife, Donna: improving the lives of millions of people in Ethiopia. Berber spoke at “A Celebration of Philanthropy and Personal Transformation,” hosted by ASF and the Wealth & Giving Forum. The event presented donors’ stories as a way to inspire wealth holders to explore their own philanthropic passion and goals.

Philip and Donna Berber formed and funded A Glimmer of Hope, a foundation based in Austin, Texas, that provides clean water, schools, health clinics and micro-finance loans. In November 2009 Barron’s magazine placed them sixth on its list of “The 25 Best Givers” in the world based on their impact and effectiveness.

The Berbers will share their work at the Opening Plenary Brunch of the ASF National Conference in Austin, Texas, October 11–13.

In his New York talk, Berber explained that Donna’s passion for giving and her trip to Ethiopia motivated him to travel there, which in turn inspired him to share her vision. He sold his online trading firm, CyBerCorp, to Charles Schwab for $488 million in 2000; that same year, he and Donna pledged $100 million in stock to create an endowment that would cover 100% of all operating expenses for A Glimmer of Hope. Using photos, video and GPS coordinates of every project, the organization proves that 100% of all donations go straight to the projects on the ground.

So far in Ethiopia, A Glimmer of Hope has financed over 4,500 projects including 4,277 water wells, 398 schools, 190 health clinics and 11,319 microloans, reaching an estimated 2.5 million Ethiopian people.

Berber also told the New York audience how a similar gathering of donors years ago helped shape the results-oriented, collaborative approach that he and Donna embrace. At that earlier event he met young social entrepreneur Scott Harrison of charity:water. In three years, charity: water has funded more than 1,000 water and sanitation projects in Ethiopia through A Glimmer of Hope, 35% of all its projects around the world.

Come hear their inspirational story at the 2010 ASF National Conference.