The Bill and Malinda Gates Foundation is a leader in the world of nonprofit organizations, so when I came across a Ted Talk done by the couple behind the organization, I thought that it could relate very well to what we have learned in our philanthropy class. For this talk, entitled Why Giving Away Our Wealth Has Been the Most Satisfying Thing We've Done, Bill and Malinda were simultaneously interviewed about the growth of their organization. They started at the very beginning. When the couple got married, they took a trip to Africa to see the wildlife of the Sahara, but ended up becoming much more interested in the people that actually lived there. After meeting those natives, they decided that they would use their wealth from Microsoft in two ways: first to help children in poor nations like Africa who are at risk of dying from preventable disease, and second to improve the quality of education in the United States. That early plan grew thanks to both Bill and Malinda's dedication and collaboration, a pledge by Warren Buffett to give 80% of his wealth to their foundation, and most importantly, their belief that "the beauty of philanthropy is it's mind blowing diversity."

            While I believe that the entire Ted Talk touched on points that we have discussed in class, it is that last quote that truly paralleled the idea of how to give money, and the our recent class debate over running a philanthropic organization strategically or emergently. According to the reading Strategic Philanthropy for a Complex World, “…to solve today’s complex problems, foundations need to shift from the model of strategic philanthropy that attempts to predict outcomes to an emergent model that better fits creating social change in a complex world.” I disagree with this, and I believe that the statement that the Gates made about philanthropic diversity supports my opinion. Yes, it is important for philanthropists to identify organizations that they believe will be most effective in creating social change. According to Kania, Kramer, and Russell, that type of organization should follow an emergent model. Yet, to say that one model is superior is to ignore the fact that philanthropy and philanthropic organizations all have different goals, and therefore will follow the model that they believe can best accomplish those goals. So I ask you, were Bill and Malinda Gates right to applaud the diversity of philanthropy? Or is one method of donation and nonprofit organization superior to another?

            I also appreciated the portion of this Ted Talk when Bill and Malinda were asked how they decided to give away their “big pot of money.” This was when they explained their donation structure, of spending half of their resources on preventing premature death abroad, and the other half on advancing education at home. Personally, I think that international aid is very important, considering the poorest of the poor live in third world nations. However, I also appreciate the importance of making a change in ones own country, especially when there are so many poor individuals living within our own boarders already. Which method of philanthropy do you think is more important? If you answered international aid, now put yourself in the shoes of those homeless individuals who slept outside the Bill and Malinda Gates Foundation building to protest their loss of government aid. How would you feel if there was someone who had the ability to change your circumstance, but instead they were using their money to help the poor and homeless in other countries? Your answers will most likely depend on your views about philanthropy, and ultimately who deserves the money the most, a theme that is central to our class.

Katherine Ryan