Michael Moody

Michael Moody, Ph.D., is Professor of Philanthropic Studies at the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana University, Indianapolis. Prior to this, for 13 years, he served as the first holder of the Frey Foundation Chair for Family Philanthropy at the Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy at Grand Valley State University, in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He has also held faculty positions at Boston University and University of Southern California.

Dr. Moody serves as an accessible guide to the rapidly evolving and complex world of philanthropy and social innovation, helping diverse audiences see the vital role that giving plays in society and in their own lived experiences. Trained as a cultural sociologist with a special emphasis on philanthropic theory and ethics, he has been actively working to understand and improve philanthropy and nonprofit organizations for nearly 35 years, often by actively bridging scholarship and professional practice.

Dr. Moody is co-author of the books Understanding Philanthropy: Its Meaning and Mission (with Robert Payton), The Philanthropy Reader (with Beth Breeze), and Generation Impact: How Next Gen Donors Are Revolutionizing Giving (with Sharna Goldseker), as well as many other publications for both scholarly and practitioner audiences. His books have won major awards, been produced as audiobooks, been translated into several languages, and been featured as best-sellers in the philanthropy category. His research and theoretical writing has been published in Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, Nonprofit Management and Leadership, The Foundation Review, Sociological Theory, and several prominent edited volumes. This scholarship focuses on topics such as the theory and social role of philanthropy, ethical challenges in giving, Gen X and Millennial giving, family foundations, donor learning, venture philanthropy, the notion of “giving back,” and nonprofits’ debates about the public good, and many other topics.

Dr. Moody is a frequent speaker at venues across the U.S. and worldwide, and a sought-after commentator on philanthropic trends and research. He has given hundreds of speeches reaching thousands of philanthropic and nonprofit professionals as well as scholars. His work has been featured in the New York Times, Washington Post, Forbes, Chronicle of Philanthropy, Stanford Social Innovation Review, Alliance, and many other outlets, and he frequently writes essays and reports that are widely read and cited by practitioners in the field. In addition to extensive university teaching experience, Dr. Moody has developed and taught numerous professional education courses, especially for grantmakers and donors.

Dr. Moody earned a bachelor’s in psychology from Indiana University in Bloomington, and then became one of the first employees of the university’s Center on Philanthropy, where he supported the development of many of the early research and teaching programs that have now flourished into the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. He went on to receive a master’s in social science from the University of Chicago. In addition to his previous faculty roles, Dr. Moody founded and led Moody Philanthropic Consulting. His current volunteer service includes the Editorial Board for the Georgetown Studies in Philanthropy, Nonprofits, and Nongovernmental Organizations book series, and the Board of Directors for the national nonprofit, Family Promise.