December 21, 2006 – 10:53 am
I read an interesting blog post on the benefits of youth philanthropy recently:
"Addictions, dropout rates, gang violence — we are seldom at a loss for stories of how today’s youth burden society locally and nationally. What is the solution to this upsetting trend? Youth philanthropy."
You can read the rest here.
The post also pointed out the Youth Philanthropy Initiative of Indiana, which hosts a great website with the tagline “Growing Lifelong Philanthropists”.
I’m seeing more and more nonprofits, foundations and governmental entities encouraging philanthropy among young people. What a great trend. Initiatives like these are building the future of The Second Great Wave of Philanthropy.
December 19, 2006 – 8:16 am
There is a new UK based charity rating service called Intelligent Giving. Similar on the surface to Charity Navigator and Guidestar. They seem to have tried to take a fun attitude to the whole process. I like that the site makes it easy to explore for charities, rather than just look one up that you already know about. The “Experts’ Choices” and the “If you like this charity you might like…” sections reminded me of similar features on Amazon and iTunes.
They also have a blog, in which the author admits to being a “charity nerd”. Does that make me a philanthropy geek?
December 14, 2006 – 11:23 am
Would you listen to a Podcast interview with someone who had something interesting to say about philanthropy? Let’s assume you could just click on a link to launch the interview and didn’t have to download anything to iTunes. Would you do it? Who would you like to hear interviews with?
Tom Belford at The Agitator recently criticized Podcasts as the “The Segway of New Media”. Is he right? What’s interesting is that Tom cites a Business Week article that doubts the relevance of Podcasts, yet Business Week has their own philanthropy Podcast series (and this week features an interview with 21/64’s Sharna Goldseker). Elsewhere, we have 501c3 Cast, Britt Bravo’s Big Vision Podcast and a number of nonprofits who are Podcasting to their donors.
What if you had access to interviews with people who are movers and shakers in the philanthropic world? Would you listen in? Who would you want to hear? Let me know.
December 13, 2006 – 7:49 am
Like many bloggers, I get a fair bit of email from people who want me to profile their website or organization on my blog. Some of it fits into the discussion here and some of it doesn’t. Yesterday The Case Foundation contacted me about their December Spotlight. I have to say, I am really impressed. Someone at the Case Foundation really has their finger on the pulse of philanthropy. A quick perusal of the site brought up links to an interview with Good Magazine founder Ben Goldhirsh, an article about Tracy Gary, a report on the convergence of for profit and nonprofit business models, a discussion of giving circles, coverage of youth and philanthropy, an interview with Jed Emerson, and a piece about how philanthropy is now “chic”.
The Case Foundation has this to say about themselves:
The Case Foundation is a non-profit organization founded by Steve Case (of AOL) and his wife Jean. The foundation is focused on encouraging collaboration, supporting successful leaders and fostering entrepreneurship in the non-profit sector, particularly as those strategies relate to underserved children and families, community development, bridging cultural and religious divides, civic engagement and volunteerism and innovative approaches to health care.
November 28, 2006 – 7:41 am
I spoke with Sharna Goldseker of 21/64 last week.
21/64 is a non-profit consulting division of the Andrea and Charles Bronfman Philanthropies. Based in our New York offices, 21/64 offers services to individuals, families, businesses, foundations and federations in times of generational transition - including consultation, resource materials, networks and communication vehicles.
21/64 specializes in what we call our multigenerational approach. In this era, when there are four generations above the age of 21 around corporate and philanthropic tables, multiple generations must learn to understand each others’ “generational personalities,” motivational values, and visions. We facilitate the process of values clarification, strategic visioning and communicating to help multigenerational families define and achieve their individual and collective goals.
Sharna and I talked about educating the “next generation” about philanthropy. She brought up the idea that the “next generation” does not have to refer to children. That in fact, many people become involved in their family’s philanthropy as adults.
I’ve written about various programs that are educating teenagers about philanthropy. However, my conversation with Sharna made me realize that as a community, philanthropy must also address the education of younger adults, people in their 20’s and 30’s who are just beginning to become involved in their family’s philanthropy.
You can read more of Sharna’s views on generational issues in the article “Beyond Duty and Obligation” that she wrote for Foundation News & Commentary. 21/64 also provides a number of tools and resources that you can download from their website.
Another organization I recommend you check out that works on generational issues with people in their 20’s and 30’s is Resource Generation.
November 14, 2006 – 12:25 pm
“The Foundation will be creating an action plan that will benchmark the best practices of high impact, paradigm-shifting stakeholders. The process will deliver a comprehensive brand identity that will help empower our people to scale our best-in-class strategies.”
That imaginary statement is put together from the comical “Jargon Finder” at The Communications Network, which is working to “strengthen the voice of philanthropy”.
Philanthropy is plagued with buzzwords (including this very blog, I must admit!). Maybe the people at FoundationWorks can help. They say:
“FoundationWorks is an independent organization devoted to helping foundations and others in the philanthropic sector better utilize strategic communications as a principal agent for enhancing philanthropic effectiveness. FoundationWorks co-founders believe there is both the need and opportunity to "condition the climate" for greater public discourse around philanthropy in America. Part of our challenge is to identify the appropriate information "gatekeepers" within the philanthropic community who can effectively reach and influence policymakers and opinion leaders about the benefits and impact of the sector-particularly that portion of the sector represented by foundations.”
I can spot a couple buzzwords in that very introduction. However, I think that “encouraging greater discourse about philanthropy in America” is critical.
My firm hosted a Philanthropy Forum event in San Francisco today. In addition to myself, there was a speaker who worked in foundation administration, at a donor advised funds, and at a local nonprofit. In the audience were CPAs, nonprofit development employees, financial advisors, individual donors, and journalists. What I found wonderful about the event was how it brought together of a group of people who often do not communicate with each other and really started a conversation about philanthropy. Some of the issues discussed and ideas brought up by participates were really innovative. I think they benefited greatly from the cross pollination of ideas brought to the table by the various stakeholders (ok, I lifted that last word right out of the “Jargon Finder”!).
I believe that a large driver of the Second Great Wave is a shift that is currently underway in the philanthropic dialog. The conversation is moving away from talking about something people do out of a sense of obligation after they have retired and towards a discussion of something people are passionately involved in over the course of their entire life because it speaks to the core of who they are.
November 10, 2006 – 1:26 pm
My brother writes for the San Francisco Chronicle. I ask him to critique my writing a lot. Sometimes he accuses me of playing Buzzword Bingo (Web 2.0! Tactical Philanthropy! The Second Great Wave! Ding, ding, ding! We have a blog post!). Is all of the hype and buzz around philanthropy nothing but the hot concept of the moment? I don’t think so, but I admit that I can’t predict the future. Maybe the explosion in new media coverage is a sign that all of this is just a fad.
In the financial markets there is a concept that when an emerging trend makes it onto the front cover of general (not industry) publications, you know the trend is dead. Time Magazine’s June 2005 cover, titled “Home $weet Home”, signaled the end of the housing boom, they asked “Is The Boom Over” in 1998 just before the stock market shot through the roof, and then called Amazon.com CEO Jeff Bezos their Person of the Year in December 1999, uncannily calling the top in the stock market and the end of the Dot-Com bubble.
But what about their July 2000 cover, titled "The New Philanthropists"? Clearly, the trends in philanthropy have only strengthened since then. Maybe we are at a short-term peak in philanthropic awareness due to Buffett and Gates. However, I don’t think we’re playing Buzzword Bingo. I think the Second Great Wave of Philanthropy will be a multi-decade long event. We’ll have peaks and valleys, but I think we’re only at the beginning of a very long trend.
November 7, 2006 – 12:34 pm
I attended the launch party for Generocity Magazine last night. Their tag line is Passion With Purpose. Julia Moulden has been talking about the explosion of philanthropic media coverage from both existing outlets as well as new ones. Generocity is focusing on “emerging philanthropists” who want to be part of the “lifestyle of giving”. I like the idea that giving is not just a one-off event in your life, but for many people is actually central to how they perceive themselves. Are the New Radicals forging a Lifestyle of Giving?
In addition to Generocity, Benefit Magazine has launched in San Francisco and Giving is scheduled to launch next year in New York. Julia mentions other new media outlets here.
November 3, 2006 – 7:42 am
The Schwab Fund for Charitable Giving has changed its name to Schwab Charitable to coincide with the rollout of their new charitable reminder trust services. They quote me a couple of times in the current issue of their newsletter, which announces the service offering.
I believe very strongly in the concept that philanthropy is one of the best themes around which families can come together to discuss their most deeply held values and beliefs. Philanthropy is a wonderful vessel for parents to use to pass their values onto their children. The summer issue of the Schwab Charitable newsletter provides nice coverage of this concept.
Some research suggests that philanthropy is not just a practice that families should consider, but in fact, it is something they must practice if they want any semblance of intergenerational cohesion.
I’m off to talk to a group of high school students about philanthropy. I look forward to sharing the experience with you next week.
November 1, 2006 – 7:29 am
Much has been made about the impact of Baby Boomers retiring and entering their prime “giving years”. I commented on this myself recently. However, when trying to understand philanthropy as a cultural trend, it is just as important to recognize the impact of Generation Y and the way in which they are embracing civic engagement.
USA Today ran an article on Generation Y last week. Key quote:
“They may be less radical than baby boom activists in the 1960s and 1970s, whose demonstrations for civil rights, women’s equality and protecting the environment and protests against the Vietnam War became flashpoints for their times. But thanks in large part to the Internet, this generation is much more aware of the world. And because national tragedies such as the 9/11 terrorist attacks and Hurricane Katrina have scarred their youth and adolescence, experts see signs these young people are creating their own brand of social consciousness.”
Since the youth of any country tend to be the trendsetters (there may be lots of Baby Boomers out there listening to iPods, but it was their children that started the trend), high intensity social engagement among Generation Y may very well translate into higher levels of giving from the Baby Boomers.
This generational back and forth goes the other way as well. Books like Silver Spoon Kids are helping frame philanthropy as one of the most important ways that Baby Boomer parents can pass on a passion for social engagement to their children. At the same time, groups like Resource Generation and websites like Youth in Philanthropy are helping the younger generation figure out how best to make a difference. These young philanthropists are learning new techniques and approaches, which they can bring back to their parents, and the positive feedback loop runs on and on.
The Second Great Wave of Philanthropy is not just about a new generation of Rockefellers and Carnegies. It is about a fundamental shift in how our culture approaches civic engagement. It is not about the new generation overthrowing the concepts of the old guard; it is about a cycle of passion that is sweeping through our cultural consciousness.
October 30, 2006 – 8:28 am
Readers Seth Mazow and Tarek Rizk both point out online resources that use technology to increase collaboration in the grant making process:
Seth points to Omidyar.net and specifically their effort to let the community decide how and where to make grants. Today they kick off their 4th Quarter Funding Project.
From the announcement:
Omidyar Network plans to launch a new funding project with the omidyar.net community on October 30. In this project, we’d like the omidyar.net community to help us distribute $5,000 each to nine nonprofit organizations.
Phase 1. General Discussion and Preparation
Phase 2. Create a Funding Proposal
Phase 3. Vote for Top Three Funding Area Proposals
Phase 4. Vote for Specific Nonprofits in the Winning Funding Areas
Phase 5. Funding the organizations
Seth, by the way, manages the Interplast Blog, which has been a great example of how nonprofits can use a blog to connect with donors in ways that were unavailable until recently.
Tarek, the associate director of the Aspen Institute’s Global Interdependence Initiative, emails to point out their Continuous Progress tool, which helps both sides of the grant making process work together.
Technology is bringing many changes to the world of philanthropy. Probably most importantly, it is helping stakeholders with various interests work together more closely.
October 27, 2006 – 8:31 am
The vast majority of work done by nonprofits is work that they are proud to tell their donors about. However, there are some aspects of the nonprofit sector about which insiders whisper, "Don’t Tell The Donor". For those donors who want to see behind the curtain, there is the aptly named blog Don’t Tell The Donor.
Duke Smith has joined the philanthropy blogging community with his Donor InSite blog. I gotta say that any philanthropy blog that manages to work Marvin Gaye lyrics into a post during its first month wins a place on my daily read.
