Philanthropy Roundtable’s Free to Give campaign elevates the voices of everyday Americans who have dedicated their careers to supporting those in need. Their work is made possible by the freedom of all Americans to give to the causes and communities they care about most.
“Philanthropic freedom allows us to support the causes and communities we care about most,” said David Odahowski, president, CEO and trustee of the Edyth Bush Charitable Foundation. “The work of foundations can involve funding causes that aren’t always popular. Think of the anti-slavery movement or the fight against discrimination in the 1950s. If foundations could only fund what was popular or government-approved, we wouldn’t have innovation, or new solutions to complex problems. Philanthropic freedom is essential to charitable foundations and philanthropy as a whole.”
For more than half a century, the Edyth Bush Charitable Foundation has been a driving force for philanthropy, leadership and community growth in Central Florida. Guided by founder Edyth Bush’s vision to alleviate human suffering and help people help themselves, the organization has championed initiatives in education, health care, human services, the arts and voluntarism, strengthening countless organizations and expanding their impact.
“What I love most about my work is that it’s really not work. It’s a mission, a calling. Through our efforts, we see voluntary initiatives in our community take flight,” said Odahowski.
Reflecting on the Foundation’s 51-year journey, he discusses the principles behind the organization’s giving and the important role philanthropic freedom has in shaping a thriving community.
Q: What does the Foundation look for when evaluating nonprofit organizations to support?
Odahowski: When we evaluate nonprofit organizations, we look for management, governance and leadership indicators. Is it an organization that has a mission? Does it have a constituency in need? Does it have a functioning board? Are they workhorses or show horses?
The most important thing is leadership—an inspirational leader. They don’t have to be publicly inspirational, but they must have the right balance between a servant’s heart and a business school MBA mentality.
Sustainability and capacity are very important to the Foundation, but sometimes you have to take a risk. Sometimes there’s something that isn’t being done in your community that must be undertaken. You can apply all sorts of metrics to evaluate a nonprofit organization, but if there’s a need and no one else is doing it, you have to take a risk.
The role of a private foundation is to take those risks. If it doesn’t pan out, then citizens aren’t disappointed, and shareholders aren’t dissatisfied. We’re the “risk money” out there to identify those kinds of needs.
Q: What are some of the Foundation’s most successful initiatives?
Odahowski: One of our most successful initiatives is working with the Florida Chamber Foundation. The Foundation is the non-political research arm of the Florida Chamber of Commerce and developed the Florida 2030 Plan, a $2 million project with three goals: successful employment, vibrant communities and global competitiveness.
Florida, now the 16th-largest economy in the world, aims to become the 10th largest. The plan includes six pillars—such as talent, infrastructure, civic organizations and quality of life.
The Florida Scorecard allows us to measure progress and accountability. This has influenced state policy and regulation, helping ensure that if Florida succeeds economically, all its people benefit.
Q: Tell us about the Edyth Bush Institute for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership and its impact.
Odahowski: The Edyth Bush Institute is a 51-year-old project of the Foundation, still in the making today. It’s housed in the Roy E. Crummer Graduate School of Business at Rollins College, and that’s important because we want business students to be outrageously successful so they can be outrageously generous.
When you think about a successful community, business leaders and government leaders need to know about the nonprofit sector and how it works. Government can only function through the taxes we allow it to have. Business has to operate with profit, and profit is good. But nonprofits provide the social goods and services that businesses and government cannot or will not provide. They fill in the gaps, creating a better quality of life and greater prosperity for people.
If there’s one individual that the Foundation has impacted through leadership, it’s Ray Larsen. Ray was a Catholic priest who left the priesthood and entered the nonprofit world. He was highly educated in languages and history but needed guidance in the practical workings of nonprofit organizations.
At one point, while working at a women’s organization called the Beta Center, Ray was found on the roof repairing it himself. The chairman told him, “Ray, get down off that roof. I don’t need you with a broken leg, I need you raising money!”
In that moment, Ray realized he needed to learn about fundraising, accountability and the government regulations nonprofits face. We were able to assist him in his leadership journey by funding various initiatives, sending him to meetings and connecting him with other community leaders.
Over time, he led several organizations: a women’s organization, a health metrics group, a major daycare program at the YMCA, and finally served as vice president of the Heart of Florida United Way for 15 years. Now retired, he mentors the next generation of nonprofit leaders in Central Florida.
Q: What concerns do you have about government restrictions on nonprofits?
Odahowski: I worry about the restrictions that government places on nonprofit organizations, because the real success of America lies in the genius of successful businesses and impactful nonprofits. Government cannot solve all our problems.
Look today at Hurricane Helene or other natural disasters—we see that government isn’t first on the ground. It’s Samaritan’s Purse, the Red Cross and other volunteer initiatives. When government adds regulations, it often gets in the way of private, voluntary initiative.
Q: Why is donor privacy important?
Odahowski: Donor privacy was at issue during the “greenlining” situation in California, where the state wanted foundations to disclose the age, sex, sexual orientation and economic status of board members, staff and grantees.
Seven large California foundations managed to stop that proposal. But Philanthropy Roundtable saw the potential danger for other states and Florida became one of the first states to pass a law preventing such disclosures. It was a preventative measure—this information doesn’t affect how we work.
If donor privacy were violated, board members and staff would make decisions based not on efficiency or effectiveness but on how things might appear to outsiders or the media. And that’s no way to run a business, a government or a nonprofit.
Q: How does the First Amendment protect philanthropy?
Odahowski: The First Amendment provides for freedom of expression, and any restriction on donors—how or when they give, or how much they give—would impede the philanthropic process. Some people give anonymously for religious reasons; others simply prefer to stay in the background. There are important issues today that require quiet leadership, even when they’re not popular.
Q: Why should donor intent be respected?
Odahowski: Donor intent is essential to philanthropy because trust is the currency we use. If one generation can’t trust the next, philanthropy fades. At the Edyth Bush Charitable Foundation, we safeguard donor intent through a written history, ongoing documentation and a monograph about Mrs. Bush. We’ve also recorded interviews with founding board members about how they knew Mrs. and Mr. Bush and their giving philosophy.
