I try not to make a habit of repeating myself, but there are times when an exception makes sense. I just learned that there are still tickets for the February 24 conversation between Isabel Allende and Eve Ensler, author and founder of V-Day. Having seen Isabel on stage many times, I can tell you there is no one quite as honest, funny, blunt, shocking and entertaining. The event takes place at 7:00 p.m. at Dominican University in San Rafael and tickets can be purchased by clicking here.  If you want to help spread the word (this is a V-Day fundraiser after all), please visit my site and share this message on Facebook.

On Monday, January 30th, the White House will honor Dr. Wanjiru Kamau-Rutenberg as one of fourteen “Champions of Change” who are leaders in American Diaspora communities with roots in the Horn of Africa. I had the pleasure of meeting Wanjiru earlier this year—she is brilliant, passionate, energetic, and deeply committed to others. The nonprofit she founded, Akili Dada, is a leadership incubator investing in high-achieving young African women from underprivileged backgrounds who are passionate about social change. This honor follows the December 2011 announcement from Google that Akili Dada was awarded a $100,000 grant by Google.org. It’s a thrill to add my congratulations to the worldwide chorus singing her praises.

On January 24th, the Chronicle of Philanthropy reported that Fidelity Charitable is now raising more than it did before the recession started–$2.9-billion last year, up from $1.6-billion in 2010 and $1.9-billion in 2007 before the downturn started. (Since most of the gifts it receives are in the form of stocks, the increase is largely attributable to the upward trend in the stock market.) More importantly for those in the nonprofit trenches, donors recommended distributions of $1.3 billion in gifts to charities, up from $1.2 billion in 2007. It’s too early to tell whether this is a trend rather than an anomaly, but a girl can always hope.

Looking for an opportunity to be in the presence of great brilliance, creativity and courage? At 7:00 p.m. on February 24, my friend Isabel Allende will be interviewing Eve Ensler, author and founder of V-Day—a global activist movement to end violence against women and girls. In addition to talking about her new book, I trust we will hear more from Eve about City of Joy in Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo, a community supported by V-Day that will support women survivors of sexual violence to heal and provide them with opportunities to develop their leadership. I’ll be there with them and would love to see you there as well. For more info click here.

With this new year, I send my deepest thanks to my friends and teachers around the globe. Your work to alleviate the suffering caused by poverty, illiteracy, gender-based violence, lack of healthcare, and countless other forms of social injustice nourishes and informs me daily. You make real for me the truth of this quote from Lynne Twist’s Soul of Money Institute: “There are no haves and have-nots. We are all haves and our assets are diverse. In the alchemy of collaboration, we become equal partners; we create wholeness and sufficiency for everyone.” May it be a year of abundant resources and inspiration for us all.

I just learned that Warren Hellman passed away last night. Warren was many things, among them a billionaire, an investment banker, and the founder of Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, a music festival he created for San Francisco. I knew Warren as a musician and a philanthropist–a man who gave with great compassion and generosity. The Bay Citizen quotes Warren as telling Forbes.com that that he came to view money “like manure. If you spread it around, good things will grow — and if you pile it up, it just smells bad…I don’t have any passion for or interest in collecting stuff. I don’t have any interest in owning expensive art or Lamborghinis. It’s just another thing to maintain. It’s not a moral judgment; it just doesn’t move me at all. What does move me is philanthropic stuff. Giving really does move me. Part of it is selfish: It’s fun to be appreciated. But the other part of it is that good things really are growing.” I am just one of many who will greatly miss his leadership and kindness.

Oxfam’s new report, A Place at the Table: Safeguarding Women’s Rights in Afghanistan, warns that “There is a risk that the government may sacrifice women’s rights in order to secure a political deal with the Taliban and other armed opposition groups.” My friend and client Khaled Hosseini added his voice to others standing with Oxfam in drawing attention to this important human rights issue. You can read Khaled’s piece here. Lasting peace and genuine reconciliation cannot be achieved without the inclusion of women.

Link to the Oxfam report (pdf).