As originally posted on www.zocalopublicsquare.org
Philanthropy in and of itself is not powerful. It is simply a conduit through which individuals with financial resources (a key source of power in society, economics and politics) manifest their desires and goals through their giving. So while I share some of the concerns and hopes for philanthropy raised by Olivier Zunz in his new history of philanthropy and by National Center for Responsive Philanthropy in its "Philanthropy's...

As originally posted on the Class Action Blog at http://www.classism.org/how-much-is-enough
As we enter into the "season of giving," it's important to note that our decisions about how much to give are rooted in a deeper question of "how much is enough?" Yet many of us leave that underlying question unasked - acting based on general social norms related to wealth instead of finding an answer that fits our lives and our values.
When John D. Rockefeller was asked "how...

Over the past few months, there has been a lot of discussion sparked by the Giving Pledge about what level people should give at and what targets are the most effective for mobilizing people to give. While there is obviously no one answer, I find the diversity of approaches a powerful rather than distracting reality. For some, an invitation to give 1% will be a doable but major step while others are open and interested in giving at much higher percentages of their income, assets, or...

I wish more of us - foundations and individual givers alike - would take a lesson from the Rapoport Foundation. Their assets were hard hit by the recession. And instead of pulling back, they took a hard look at the burgeoning needs around them and committed to dramatically INCREASE their funding. They decided to strategically pay out what was left of their endowment - $7.5 million - over the next 5-1/2 years.
Given the tremendous need and opportunities around us, what might enable more...