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Bob
& Ruth Nara -- Catalyst Philanthropists
 I feel fortunate to work with and learn from Bob and Ruth Nara. Our relationship began in June 2003, when Bob talked to me about their interest in donating a parcel of property near Houghton for recreational purposes, and they wanted to make sure that Michigan Tech's interests were taken into consideration. Bob also suggested that Michigan Tech reinstate its former practice of periodically meeting with area leaders to keep them updated on the University. Bob is a retired dentist, who in the 1960s and 1970s was considered a maverick by practicing and promoting preventive dentistry, via his system called Oramedics. Bob and Ruth live on his family homestead in Bootjack, Michigan, where they continue to care for the beautiful forestlands that have been in the family for over a century. Bob and Ruth are true philanthropists who love the Keweenaw and Michigan Tech. Being together for more than fifty years, they are a team in every sense of the word. They practice what they call "catalyst philanthropy": donating resources that will multiply by attracting additional funds. The best part is they have fun doing it. They look at their philanthropy as a hobby. I recently sat down with Bob and Ruth to discuss their unique views on philanthropy. -Eric Halonen, Michigan Tech Fund
How would you describe your philosophy regarding charitable giving? People who have been fortunate enough to thrive in life and have more overall assets than they need for common sense living-forget opulent-should think about sharing their good fortune with others. Choosing the right avenue of sharing is a very important part of being generous. Billions of dollars a year are flowing from some folks to major charities. We prefer to leverage our generosity so that we provide what we call "catalyst assets" to groups or charities that can build upon our "foundation funds" to make really big things happen. We call it painting on a bigger canvas. We've been raising the bar and encouraging others to do likewise. One example of your concept of giving is the Nara Animal Shelter. Tell me more about this project. We donated the land, which is in a very strategic location, for a new animal shelter in Houghton. Volunteers then raised over $500,000 for the construction of a state-of-the-art building that will benefit thousands of animals and people. Our catalyst asset was the land, worth a few thousand dollars, which was the foundation to encourage the $500,000 of donations from other people that achieved an end result of huge proportions. This is what we call leveraged generosity or more bang for the buck. What outcomes do you want from your giving? What do you get out of it? We would like for others to see the merit of our thinking, perhaps to envision ways they could donate a little and accomplish a lot. Some people who give enjoy the recognition of their gift. We get more joy from watching our projects grow. We prefer to give the credit of good results to others. The feeling of a win-win relationship is the ultimate pleasure of generosity. Giving away X amount of assets and seeing one hundred or one thousand times the results is a very worthwhile goal in our book. When you're on the right track, it feels good and many others want to get on board. Volunteers come out of the woodwork. Nothing succeeds as well as success. We contribute a "little action" that results in "big action." The best reward in life is the feeling of satisfaction from knowing that what you are doing is right and seeing the results to prove it. What are your thoughts on estate giving as compared to giving now? We believe that estate giving is important for charities like the Michigan Tech Fund since this often is the source of a charity's largest gifts. However, personally, we like to give as much as we can while we're alive-the fun is in seeing the results of our gifts. The leveraging of assets is the power of our concept. We like to be productive, and in creative ways. You certainly have put your ideas to good use with the Nara Nature Park. In addition to donating 100 acres of property with three miles of valuable waterfront, you continue to devote your time to further developing the property. Describe this project in more detail. After a lifetime of paying taxes to the government, we have devised a concept that we, in effect, "tax" the government to fund our hobbies. Our hope is to leave the world a better place, so we donated this large piece of real estate to the government (the City of Houghton) for parks and recreational purposes. We then worked with the city to submit grant applications to fund projects such as hiking trails and cross-country skiing trails. Being adjacent to the Michigan Tech trails, we also wanted Tech's students to benefit from them. So, in this case, the government gave the money to develop the park (our goal), and the public and the University benefit. And, it didn't end there. Another grant to help the city convert the old animal shelter into a Visitors Center was recently approved. It's also important to note that Michigan Tech's students are helping to develop the Nara Nature Park. The Forestry and Environmental Resource Management enterprise group has worked on the property since spring 2005. Their contributions include an initial property assessment, a timber inventory, the marking of trails and trail hazards, and a recommendation to the city that it harvest dying trees along the trails. Is your main philanthropic goal to help the local community? Yes, it is. In addition to the Nara Animal Shelter and the Nara Nature Park, another example is our donation of the timber for a railroad trestle at the Houghton County Historical Society Museum to make its steam train operational and raise more revenue for the society. Also, we donated a computer scanner to Michigan Tech's Archives to make its estimated 120,000 images available worldwide on the Web. [Bob's grandfather was a wellknown photographer in the area, and Bob's parents donated several hundred of his photos to Tech.] As a result, government funding of $15,000 and other gifts were received, allowing Tech to begin a digitally archived system. What is your connecdon to Michigan Tech? Why do you give to Tech instead of your own alma mater? We enjoy being involved with Michigan Tech. It is in our backyard-it ties into what we are trying to accomplish. There are many needy organizations all over the world, but many are too big for us to make a significant difference. We both attended the University of Michigan - that's where we met - but it, also, is too large for our catalyst assets and little actions to make much of a difference. Also, our intuition about Tech's development and Tech Fund activities is that you're doing a good job. We depend on our intuition, and we gather a lot of information to back up our intuition. We're impressed with Tech. Another example of your contributions to Michigan Tech is the Community Leaders Luncheons. Yes. After discussing this topic with you in 2003, together we pursued the idea of holding luncheons two or three times a year so that Michigan Tech's president could discuss the University's progress and plans with community leaders. We sponsored the cost of the first luncheon, held in April 2004, and have helped to line up sponsors for nine subsequent luncheons. These events have proved to be very successful. The number of attendees continues to grow, and we have been able to discuss ideas for maximizing the benefits of the area for our common good. What are your words of wisdom for others interested in helping Tech or other worthwhile organizations? Our advice is to practice generosity, use common sense, and always do the right thing. With these three standards, you can't fail. Leave a legacy that will keep on living and keep on giving. How can you beat a hobby like that? |