The "word of the day" the other day was eleemosynary. It has long been one of my favorite words. It means, "of, relating to, or supported by charity." Did you know that?
A few years ago in a foundation board meeting we were reviewing a by-laws change, and the attorney had put in a phrase about the eleemosynary purposes of our work. I was surprised that several of the board members had no idea what this meant, and they were delighted that I was able to explain that it means charitable or philanthropic, that is just what they were doing as members of the board. I guess the fact that the lawyer used it shouldn't have been a surprise. It is a direct derivative of the Latin "eleemosyna", meaning, as you might have guessed, charitable.
So, what have you done today that is eleemosynary? If you need help raising more money for your favorite eleemosynary organization, give me a call!
