Excessive donation requests can end up triggering donor fatigue or inspiring accusations of ‘social washing’.
Thousands of church members sing during the 2016 General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City, Utah.
George Frey/Getty Images
Joseph Smith encouraged early Latter-day Saints to pool their resources. Two centuries later, one of the results is an investment portfolio estimated at $100 billion.
During COVID, rich countries have used masks and gloves from their medical stockpiles. But not all countries are so fortunate. We found the best way to help. It may not be what you think.
Stanford researcher Lucy Bernholz is re-imagining what philanthropy looks like and is trying to understand how average people create, fund and distribute shared social goods in the digital age.
International tourism dropped considerably to Thailand Buddhist temples as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Anusak Laowilas/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Thailand’s Buddhist temples, important centers of culture and commerce, rely on donations from international visitors. Because of a steep drop in tourism, these temples have been hit hard.
Staff members wear gloves, face shields and gowns as they hand out meals at lunchtime at the Shepherds of Good Hope soup kitchen in Ottawa in 2020.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
Canadians should consider place-based giving, or donating ‘at home,’ through local community foundations that are well-positioned to navigate and bolster the post-pandemic recovery.
Fair global agreements, home-grown vaccines and sharing extra doses with poorer nations are all needed if we’re to ever emerge from this pandemic.
The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed how non-profit organizations operate and how they’re funded. Whether it will be enough to help the non-profit sector address growing social problems remains to be seen.
(Piqsels)
The COVID-19 pandemic shone a light on how non-profit organizations operate and how they’re funded. Is it enough to boost non-profit sector capacity to address social inequities post-pandemic?
Defunding of universities has forced administrators to to seek and secure private donations from wealthy individuals or corporations. Pictured here, the Michael G. De Groote Faculty of Medecine, McMaster University, in Hamilton, Ont.
We should challenge government defunding of universities, and greater reliance on private donations that can affect the transparency, equity and democracy of public institutions, including hospitals.
Buddhist monks pass packs of water after their devotees donated water to a temple in Bangkok.
AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit
Buddhist monks in Thailand continue to collect alms from households, despite the threat of the coronavirus. The reason: the practice is an important part of merit-making.
Philanthropy in the form of financial donations is not a solution to the natural disasters caused by climate change. A new philanthropy of social change is needed.
Philanthropy is an increasingly significant source of revenue for universities, but the majority of donations go to five big universities.
A volunteer sorts through donated clothing as part of a bushfire appeal. Generally, it’s best to give money - unless the organisation to which you are donating has requested specific goods.
AAP/DEAN LEWINS