Mackinac Center Vice President for Advancement Jim Walker has often said that giving can bring great joy. Our senior director of donor communications, Elizabeth Posthumus, believes we should be grateful for what we inherit and donate to people who can help light the way for the next generation.
I agree with both points, but when I give, I have to admit there’s an entertainment factor, too. I like to tell my friends. I like to joke that the mission trip my church held, the trees planted in my name in the rain forest, or the most recent study the Mackinac Center published, all happened just a little bit because of me.
I suppose that sentiment runs in the family. My older brother, who serves on the Mackinac Center’s Board of Scholars, donated $25 in July 2022. His first question was whether we would name the boardroom after him. That wasn’t quite in the building plan, so I did the next best thing. I put a piece of paper outside my cubicle and named it “The Dr. Professor Daniel J. Smith Cubicle of Free Enterprise.” Not even a day later, one of his friends outbid him, and I found myself selling my cubicle naming rights for $25 a month, a small tradition I keep up because it adds a bit of fun to giving. Each donation is meaningful and helps move our mission forward, and along the way, the donor gets naming rights over a cubicle at the Mackinac Center.
All jokes aside, that’s what financial partnership is about. Whether a gift funds a cubicle nameplate or a policy study that inspires a change in law, it moves real work forward. And that work reaches communities, courts, and legislatures across Michigan and beyond.
So if you decide to give to the Mackinac Center, know that your gift can bring you real joy. Know that it helps light the way for the next generation. And know that you’re always welcome to tell your friends about it and brag a little if you’d like. Oh, and if you’d like to sponsor my cubicle, I’d be glad to have you.
Thank you for being a part of this work, however you choose to tell the story.
