Sunday, June 29, 2014

What is a culture of philanthropy?



What is a culture of philanthropy?  It’s a phrase that has gained a great deal of popularity over the last few years. 

Google the phrase.  I did, as I wrote this blog and what did I find?


An article by Simone Joyeaux, one of the best known US major gift fundraising pundits.  An article from NonProfit Quarterly Newswire, a leading US nonprofit sector journal. A webinar, by Compass Point (sponsored by NonProfit Quarterly).  Compass Point is a leading US consulting and training  organisation.  Two whitepapers from two more consultants showed up on my lap top screen, and, finally,on that first page of hits, an article in Fundraising Success Magazine by another leading fundraising pundit, Pamela Grow.


By the way, check out all these links and sign up to their newsletters because collectively they will provide a rich flow of knowledge and expertise for you as a fundraiser. I read all of them regularly. (Or, you can take the easy route by checking out Artful Training’s Facebook Page, where such articles are regularly posted)

But, what do I think a culture of philanthropy is. And, what would one look, feel and sound like?  Here’s my version of a fictitious organisation with an embedded culture of philanthropy.

Let's imagine it is an Art Gallery. And imagine that you are donor. Suppose you go in, perhaps to have a coffee and enjoy the latest exhibition. Of course, as you walk in the main entrance, prominent is an attractive 'roll of honour' displaying the names of all those individuals, foundations and companies whose philanthropy has contributed to the success of the gallery. You get a thrill of recognition, as you see your name amongst them.

As you walk past the welcome desk you exchange warm greetings with the staff member who sits behind it. You know each other by name. Likewise, the volunteer who is sitting at the information desk greets you by name. And you too, a volunteer yourself,  have spent some time sitting in this chair. In the cafĂ©, the barista gives you a special smile. You know that he is a young artist and you ask how he is going?

While you're having your coffee, a young lady from the fundraising office pops down. She says, that the office had heard that you were in the building .She brings the Head of Philanthropy’s apology, that she can't come down and say hello - she’s in a meeting. However, they thought to take this opportunity of sharing with you their latest donor newsletter which is just about to be mailed out. When she is gone, and as you sip your coffee and enjoy your carrot cake , you browse through the newsletter. You are pleased to see notice of a special preview for friends and donors before the next exhibition and you check your PDA and discover that you are free to attend.

Fortified by coffee and cake, you decide it is time to enjoy some art. As a donor and the volunteer you have free access to all the galleries. Nonetheless, you think it is appropriate to put a $10 note into the donations box as you pass into the main gallery. Walking into the gallery feels like walking into a room of friends. There are pictures and objects there that you have long enjoyed and it is always refreshing to see them. In the next room, you are delighted to see a group of children engaged in learning. The galleries Education Officer smiles and waves at you. The education activities at the gallery, you know are sponsored by a local bank.

The main exhibition, too, has a sponsor acknowledgement displayed at the entrance way and discreetly on each of the exclamatory labels that accompany the artworks. Of course, you know that the quality of the exhibitions and the education program and the gallery generally is reliant on sponsorship and donations.

After an enjoyable hour or so soaking in the arts and the ambience you’re heading out again, much uplifted. As you walk out, the gallery director and one of the members of the board are coming in. They, too, greet you warmly. In fact, the board member is an old friend and it was she who first cultivated your interest in the gallery. And, it was the gallery director and she who visited you a couple of years ago and offered you the opportunity of becoming a donor. You remember her explaining how much she had enjoyed making a gift and how it had continued to reward her in many ways. After thinking it over you too made a significant gift. The investment you made has repaid you many, many times.

Sunday, June 15, 2014

"You mean, there is philanthropy in India?"


I am just back from a trip interviewing philanthropists in India.  You may wonder what I am interested in Indian philanthropy for. 

One reason is the depressingly frequent and blunt question I often get asked: "You mean, there is philanthropy in India?".*
I have commented before, (Is US Philanthropy exceptional?)that I think it is a mistake always to think of United States as the model of philanthropy. Philanthropy is a comparative infant United States compared with the rest of the world (India's philanthropy long preceded America).  To counter these misapprehensions here are some examples of Indian philanthropists I have met.

Example one, is a husband-and-wife team who started their own foundation after building a successful investment advisory service. Through the foundation, they apply their investment skills to advising,  investing, and fundraising for a range of social activities. Three of the social initiatives that they were actively involved in when we spoke were, firstly, an orphanage for children of sex workers in Mumbai. Second, an organisation managing rural ashrams for treatment and rehabilitation of leprosy patients, and other disabled or marginalised people. And, third, an initiative that ran education programs for children Mumbai’s slums. All of these three were initially started and run by local social entrepreneurs.

My second example, is the second generation family owner of a mining company.  His family foundation has focused on implementing  a social model enabling the families of the company’s workers themselves to manage all aspects -  health, education, sanitation and sustainability -  of  their own  village communities. This, self-sufficient management model is being extended to 300 or more similar industrial villages across India. From, this initial focus on village management has grown a larger commitment to the management of wider regional ecosystems. As part of this wider initiative, the foundation is now also building a university, which will provide research and training specific to the region’s challenges. The region is the poorest in India.

A third philanthropist whom I interviewed is the founder of one of India's most successful IT companies.  We spoke initially about the philanthropic foundation arm of the international business he founded, which supports health, education, culture, and the destitute. As well, it invests in rural development of some of India’s poorest and hardest to reach areas.  Later, more reluctantly, he was encouraged to talk about the substantial gifts he and his wife personally make to universities in India and abroad. And, also their quiet giving to India wide projects in education and sanitation.

Of others I have spoken to, one was the representative of a third-generation philanthropic family. Noteworthy, was her commitment to her personal philanthropic giving to arts and education quite separate from the family's traditional corporate philanthropic support of health, education and the environment.

Two other individuals I met had made fortunes from international careers in finance.  Both, with their wives, had made their personal  commitment to give away at least 50% of their wealth.

It's way too early to draw any specific conclusions from this small sample. I intend to interview 20 or more others. However, they and other conversations that I continue to have confirm my view that philanthropy is vibrant and strong in India.  The fact is that philanthropists in India have for centuries founded universities, schools and education programs, hospitals and healthcare and provided housing and facilities, not just for workers but entire communities.

It is, I suggest, in societies closer to home, with isolated and commendable exceptions, that a culture of philanthropy has yet to take deeper root.



*The research will also contribute to a PhD in philanthropy at the Asia Pacific Centre for Social Investment & Philanthropy at Swinburne University)