On the Modern Meaning of Philanthropy (original) (raw)

The Routledge Companion to Philanthropy

Historians increasingly write about philanthropy as a gift relationship. Alan Kidd (1996: 184), for example, describes philanthropy as non-commercial social transfers of wealth, material objects or non-material assistance rendered in forms that are culturally meaningful and that generate moral relationships between individuals or groups such as solidarity, dependence, legitimacy, and reputability. The history of philanthropy, however, is not simply a history of giving, far less one of giving only by the rich; it requires us to examine the various sides of the relationship. This brings it into close engagement with many other branches of history: class, gender, national identity and empire, religion and missions, poor relief and welfare, wealth and taxation, civil society. All these, and others, touch on philanthropy. In this synopsis, I argue that historians of philanthropy need to think like geologists. Stop the clock at any time, say 1850 in Europe, and you will find strata, or layers, of philanthropic giving accumulated on top of each other. The philanthropy of the past leaves its material record, its buildings, its legal documents, its charitable gifts, its assumptions and practices, in layer after layer. The present adds a topsoil of the latest projects, but the lower layers continue to exercise their influence, sometimes in the form of outcrops from earlier ages of giving.

Reflections and Commentary on a Theory of Philanthropy

The Foundation Review, 2015

This special section of The Foundation Review includes four articles about theory of philanthropy, an approach for identifying and articulating a comprehensive and integrated synthesis of how and why a foundation operates as it does. The opening article explains what a theory of philanthropy is, how it contrasts with theory of change, and how it is more than-but incorporates-a foundation's philosophy and strategy. Next come two case studies, on the Palix Foundation and the Blandin Foundation, that illustrate both different theories of philanthropy and different processes for developing a theory of philanthropy.

Philanthropy Transformed: Emerging Change and Changes in Charities

Journal of Futures Studies, 2009

Addressing the question "whither philanthropy" requires mapping "from whence philanthropy" before exploring emerging issues that could transform philanthropy, charity, and giving. This essay briefly sketches the roots of philanthropy in Western culture, and categorises the range of philanthropic activity that developed to the present. The issues that philanthropy has traditionally addressed are divided into acute (short-term) and chronic (ongoing) projects of amelioration, and acute and chronic projects of creativity. The essay then focusses on the key issue of emerging changes, and how they might impact three key components of philanthropy: philanthropic intent, philanthropic infrastructure, and the issues that philanthropic projects attempt to address. The final sections include a brief thought experiment exploring where emerging issues might take philanthropic activity in future, and suggestions as to possible points of leverage for immediate action.

A Possible New Paradigm for Philanthropy

ARNOVA Convention Paper, 2018

This article has four parts: to analyze the recent history of American philanthropy from a paradigmatic [i.e., governing model] perspective; to show how and why we are now in the midst of a classic paradigm-shift; to present publicly for the first time a possible New Paradigm for this century; and to suggest why it would be significantly beneficial for ourselves, our profession, and our country.

The management and organization of philanthropy: New directions and contested undercurrents

International Journal of Management Reviews

The case for theoretical scrutiny of philanthropy's achievements and problems, in the institutional settings in which it operates, has never been stronger. In this introduction to IJMR's special issue on philanthropy, we examine the developing levels and directions of institutional philanthropy scholarship, together with the consensual and contradictory themes they exemplify and the theoretical leads to which they give rise. Modern philanthropic theory is still largely based on archetypes developed in the early 20th century that accord a central role to foundations in addressing social challenges, yet the complex health, education and social service fields within which philanthropy operates have changed dramatically. We argue for the elevation of, and deepening directions for, theoretical study of institutional philanthropy. At present, institutional philanthropy has a modest theoretical literature, at the same time as we can notice an extensive and growing grey literature in the philanthropic community, often grounded in traditional strategic management. We reflect on the grey literature's potential development into theoretical scholarship, drawing on and fusing with a broader range of academic disciplines and organizational theories, and the linked study of the field as a discourse community. Here, the challenges of visibility and transparency in relation to privacy are significant, whether for accountability or research access. How to cite this article: Harrow J, Donnelly-Cox G, Healy J, Wijkström F The management and organization of philanthropy: New directions and contested undercurrents.