Philanthropy as ‘Sisyphus’
Ylvisaker, in his speech to the 1976 International Conference on Opportunities for Philanthropy, argued that doing philanthropy is akin to being Sisyphus: ‘What philanthropy and its collaborators have encountered is…
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Philanthropy as ‘love’
Given that the earliest image of philanthropy is associated with Prometheus’ love of humanity, what better image to finish with on the 24th of December than philanthropy as love. The…
Foundations – ‘black holes’ vs ‘supernovas’
The last couple of years have seen substantial developments around learning, information management and sharing of knowledge in philanthropy. Today’s image of philanthropy accentuates the potential and importance of…
Community foundations as ‘a very large tent’
Today’s image of philanthropy comes from a panel discussion on the role of community foundations and regional associations of grantmakers in the US. Dorothy Reynolds, at the time president of…
Trusts as ‘underground rivers’
Today’s image of philanthropy raises questions about the visibility and understanding of foundations and their activities. As Anthony Sampson stated: ‘the great family trusts are like underground rivers in a…
Starting a foundation? Think ‘porcupine’
Today’s image of philanthropy highlights that starting a foundations might be easier than figuring out what to do with it: “[S]tarting a family foundation is like catching a porcupine –…
Foundations as ‘astronomical objects’
The direct and indirect influence that larger foundations might have on their wider context is picked up in today’s image of philanthropy: “[F]oundations are like astronomical objects — the larger…
Community foundations as ‘amoebae’
Today’s image of philanthropy could be applied to different foundation sectors across the globe. However, it is taken from the European Community Foundation Initiative’s Guide to Community Foundations in Europe;…
Philanthropy as ‘a pebble in a pond’
Today’s image of philanthropy focuses on philanthropy’s potential to act as a catalyst and create far reaching ‘ripples’. This is nicely illustrated by the idea that philanthropy is like ‘a…
Foundation executives as ‘artful jugglers’
Managing a foundation is a complex task. This is highlighted in today’s image of philanthropy. Examining foundation CEOs’ tasks, activities and requirements, Fay Twersky, Director of the Effective Philanthropy Group…