The Secret Society for Creative Philanthropy

Courtney Thinks She’s Better Than Oprah | January 21, 2009

As the Oprah empire started rolling out advertisements for her latest adventure — a reality television show called “Oprah’s Big Give” — my inbox and voicemail were flooded by friends and family claiming indignantly, “Oprah stole your idea!” They were referring to Oprah’s new show, in which participants compete every week to give away large amounts of her money in a short amount of time — and in a way that will please a team of judges.

I wasn’t that mad. After all, it’s not the worst thing to be ripped off by the most successful communicator in the universe and, let’s face it, Oprah’s “idea people” probably weren’t lurking at KGB Bar listening to my friends and I tell stories about slipping $20 bills in young adult fiction books at the Brooklyn Public Library.

You see, two years ago, I started The Secret Society for Creative Philanthropy. Not so secret, but indeed creative, the project consisted of me giving ten of my friends one hundred dollars and inviting them to, in turn, give that money away. Then my whole motley crew gathered together at a bar, imbibed, and told the stories of their forays into guerilla giving (no competition involved). It was so fun in 2006 that we did it again in 2007, and the second time, some of the original recipients gave away their own hundreds. It’s become a bit like Pay It Forward, without the annoyance of Haley Joel Osment.

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