Global Philanthropy
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2020 Vision: New Philanthropic Instruments, New Philanthropic Algorithms - Submitted by Norine MacDonald QC, Managing Director
A Discussion Paper for the Salzburg Global Seminar: Optimizing Institutional Philanthropy for the 21st Century, December 11-15, 2008
(...) Philanthropists must use their unique position to lead the debate on critical issues of our day - generating innovative ideas to respond to global challenges and prevent future crises. Modern philanthropy must be ready and willing to step up to the challenge of addressing difficult, political, controversial, or unpopular issues and must learn how to do this in an efficient and timely manner. For the philanthropic community to play this role, we need new philanthropic instruments and algorithms to address potentially explosive or chronic problems on our radar screen now, and those which emerge in the next decade. New challenges require new tools and new methods for addressing them. Foundations must guarantee their investments cause maximum effect in order to ensure that our aspirations for philanthropic impact in society are met.
European philanthropic organisations are lower profile, and consequently less well-known, than their North American counterparts, but their heritage is rich and capacity to engender change runs deep. While some foundations have existed for hundreds of years, the expanding markets in Eastern Europe have seen a flurry of new philanthropic activity over the past two decades. The sector has evolved, with improved mechanisms of cooperation and expansions in venture and corporate philanthropy across the continent.
This paper explores the strategies available for philanthropy to address upcoming socioeconomic and political challenges, and investigates problems internal to the philanthropic sector. It argues that philanthropy must be proactive in addressing modern threats and issues. There is a need for a quiet revolution in philanthropy to meet the challenges of our modern world. We must learn how to lead the parade in the search for solutions rather than following from behind...
The Global Media Centre was created by the Network of European Foundations' Mercator Fund to provide the specialised advocacy and media outreach work that the policy-making and philanthropic community needs. Its objective is to provide assistance in reconciling philanthropic, policy, academic, scientific, and social objectives with the need for a "media friendly" story, developing and tailoring messages to resonate with key decision-makers.
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