I base this blog post off of a TED Talk I have recently watched
about the future of philanthropy. It was by Katherine Fulton, titled You Are The Future of Philanthropy.
Fulton starts the talk by stating how philanthropy started as something that
was closed, small, slow, fragmented, and short term and then continues to say
how it is now turning into something that’s more open, big, fast, connected,
and long term. She then goes on to talk about the democratization of
philanthropy, saying how the average person has the power to make a difference,
not just the big names we here about in the media, like Gates and Buffet.
Fulton goes on to explain the five ways in which
philanthropy has improved/ reshaped itself over the years. First, she explains
the idea of mass collaboration; how through the use of the Internet and new
forms of communication, philanthropy is becoming evermore connected. This
relates to what we have discussed in class because as we know, when different
groups with similar missions work together, they succeed, and having the Internet
to inter-connect these groups makes the process much easier. Second, Fulton
explains how online philanthropy marketplaces help to simplify the donation
process, and allows for more donations to be made. Some examples of these types
of websites are kiva.org, Network for Good, Global Giving, Youthgive, and
Donors Choose. I can personally relate to this because I am in the process of
starting a club here at Binghamton that fundraises money to then be used for
donations made through kiva.org, which is a great organization. Fulton’s third
point was about the new phenomenon of aggregated giving, which is how funds
aggregate giving and investing and bring together people with common goals to
work and make a difference, such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The
fourth and fifth points area about innovation competitions, which get people
and celebrities involved in spreading the word about philanthropy, and social
investing, which deals with leveraging capital that’s being invested in the
market to be used in philanthropic ways.
When ending her discussion, Fulton encourages the audience
to think about the community they want to be a part of, and then says to
imagine 100 years from now what stories their great grandchildren will hear
about them. I felt this was a great way to end this talk because it connects
with people on a personal level and really makes them stop and think about the
fact that they can make a difference in the world through philanthropy. Below
is the link to Katherine Fulton’s Ted Talk if anyone’s interested… it really
applies to what we’ve discussed in class.
The future of philanthropy is an exciting one, filled with possibilities
and positive, impactful social change. The field is growing, adapting, and
changing each day. Fulton does a great job at explaining this grand future and
instilling a self-empowered feeling of how every individual can make a difference.
Great blog post, Cliff! I really liked the Ted Talk that you have analyzed. She really highlights the complex system that is online philanthropy-an area so complex even when just looking at it as a whole, not even concentrating on one specific issue area. The co creators of online philanthropy along with the positive attractors such as celebrities are what make this innovative way of giving back so successful.The fact that you can relate some of the points she makes and give personal experience really comes to show how personal philanthropy really is. To address the main point of Fultons argument (that the field is constantly evolving), I would like to allude to the book we are reading for class, "A Path Appears". Ever since the British antislavery movement, the expansion of empathy has been very profound. The use of the word empathy instead of philanthropy is intentional. Fulton exclaims that giving back is self-empowering, and indeed a lot of people who donate time or money do so because of their ethics, and they carry a sense of fulfillment after donation. So, in my eyes, philanthropy and empathy are synonymous. People of all ages show altruistic personalities, as young as little babies wanting to give seemingly injured people their stuffed animals. Maybe this is why we strive to give back and live a life full of meaning. And because of advances in technology (including websites such as the ones you listed in your blog), experimentation, etc we have much greater insight on what it means to give back. This is a dynamic contrast from long ago where these outlets weren't present and people may have viewed philanthropy with more skepticism. Although there is still cynicism surrounding charities, there are many more paths to create opportunities both for people who are in need and also more opportunities to be philanthropists. There are so many examples in the book that show the many different paths that one can take in order to make a difference. This practical evidence comes to show that, just as Fulton exclaims, that philanthropy is ever-changing both on the short term and the long term.
ReplyDeleteHi Cliff,
ReplyDeleteI also had a blog post for this week and I think that sentiments that we both express in our posts are similar in the sense that both sources believe in the empowerment of the individuals' role in philanthropy- no matter how small. I would definitely agree that the popularity of the Internet and social media plays a huge role in the visibility of various issues, and that this could likely drive individual philanthropy. I'm glad to hear about the club you're working with on campus to promote fundraising! I think it's very important as young-adults to invest in issues that we care about and organizations that promote this work. On a personal note, websites that make the process of giving and philanthropy easier and more accessible have definitely made a significant impact on my willingness to give, even in very small amounts.
Cliff I really liked what you posted about philanthropy. I think that it is right on point. You do not need to donate large sums of money to make a positive impact on your surroundings. As we have previously talked about in class. Regarding the time vs. money debate, it would not be a debate if money was so much more powerful than time. However, since it depends on the circumstance and obviously an organization needs both donors, which is money, and time, which is volunteer effort. An organization cannot survive with only one of these components. This is why you can do philanthropy work at any age. Organizations are always looking for volunteers. The more time you help with an organization, the more responsibility you will likely be given, and the greater impact you are likely to make. Which will then cause for you to make a bigger impact on your surrounding without giving any money.
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