Michael Chatman is on a mission to give a voice to the everyday philanthropist and raise the level of generosity across the Ozarks. Senior vice president of philanthropy at Community Foundation of the Ozarks since March 2012, Chatman is a former All-American football player for Missouri State University and child of a single mother who, he says, instilled a love of giving early in his life.
“She always instilled in us her belief that to be truly successful, you had to give to those in need around you. Philanthropy was a core value in my home growing up,” he says.
Chatman, who has more than 63,000 Twitter followers and hosts the national radio program “The Michael Chatman Giving Show” on the Wall Street Business Network, earned the nickname “the ambassador of giving” by helping thousands find their philanthropic ways.
“Every Tuesday night I host a tweet chat called, “Why I give,” and it’s generated more than 60,000 original tweets with people from all over the world simply answering the question why they give,” he says. “Giving people a platform gives philanthropists a chance to share their interests, values and motivations.
“So often people want to focus on the amount of money that was given, but they don’t understand the reasons people give. Behind every big check is a story.”
Through his work with CFO, Chatman hopes to expand the idea of the everyday philanthropist.
“You don’t have to be a Brad Pitt, or an Oprah or a Bono to make a difference,” he says.
According to the
Philathropy.com study, “How America Gives,” Springfield was the most generous city in the state, giving 6.6 percent of discretionary income, which represented about $54.3 million in 2012.
During the first six months of fiscal 2011, CFO gave back $11.6 million in charitable grants and distributions and received more than $28.7 million in charitable contributions. Chatman says he hopes to expand the CFO tradition through a program called A Journey of Generosity.
“This is a more faith-based approach to working with donors who have been entrusted with a lot,” he says. “Often times these people are beseeched with requests from organizations for money, but no one takes the time out to take the donors on a philanthropic quest against the backdrop of their own personal sensibilities.”
Whether managing donations big or small, Chatman says his role remains the same.
“My goal is to raise generosity in Springfield,” he says.
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