Last month, Opportunity Fund launched our 1,000 Jobs Challenge – a fundraising campaign which aims to raise $300,000 in 60 days to create 1,000 jobs.  Check it out here:1000jobs.opportunityfund.org. So far, we’ve raised enough to create 276 jobs. Along with the dollars they send us, donors have also submitted some fascinating comments.  Take this one: “I contributed to the 1000 Jobs Challenge because I’m tired of Congress' inaction and feel my dollars are better spent in direct aid.  I have stopped all political contributions and will re-direct money in this manner.”

I found this striking because it pretty much echoes the opinions and actions of Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz.  In August, Schultz called on others to stop making any political contributions until our political leaders work out a serious long-term budget deal that includes job creation strategies.  At the time he said, “Our economy is frozen in a cycle of fear and uncertainty. Companies are afraid to hire. Consumers are afraid to spend. Banks are afraid to lend."

Buoyed by Schultz's conviction, Starbucks and OFN launched their Create Jobs for USA Fund. Just as Opportunity Fund is asking you to make a donation to help us generate jobs locally, Starbucks is asking its customers all over the country to chip in $5 the next time they buy coffee.  This underscores the work of community lenders and our shared mission to lending that spurs job creation. For more information on how microenterprises are generating jobs, see some recent statistics reported by FIELD at the Aspen Institute. And to learn more about the Starbucks/OFN campaign you can look here. I urge everyone who cares about job creation and getting our economy moving to chip in if you find yourself at a Starbucks AND to make a more sizeable contribution to Opportunity Fund’s 1,000 Jobs Challenge, where it will be put to use locally.

Do I agree with Howard Schultz and some of our donors that now is a good time to withhold political contributions to politicians in Washington?  Not necessarily.  We have had a set of policies in place over the past 20 years that have fueled the growth of a monstrous wealth gap in this country.  People who want to preserve those policies certainly aren’t going to slow their contributions, and those of us who care about economic justice shouldn’t stop ours either. At the same time, you may find additional satisfaction in your philanthropic contributions to Opportunity Fund and other charitable groups making a direct impact in your community.  We are able to do something right now to create jobs, but, of course, your participation is required to get this done.