Why do people give? This is a perennial question that fundraisers and development officers constantly need to address in order to target their appeals in the right way and to the right people.
But the question shouldn’t be explored only from the perspective of those who are seeking donor or philanthropic funding; but also from the perspective of those who wish to give but just don’t know how.
Part of the mission of Inyathelo is to grow a strong philanthropic movement in South Africa. These are the people who should make up this movement, i.e. those who want to give, and there is a sizable number of them out there.
There are many people who are very generous but who have no mechanism for planning their generosity. Similarly, there are many people who don’t necessarily have a generous bank account, but who have time on their hands and don’t know where or how to volunteer.
Philanthropy is part of the essential building blocks for communities with healthy social cohesion and wellbeing. In recent times we in South Africa have seen how philanthropy responded to international disasters such as the Asian Tsunami and Haitian Earthquake; as well as local emergencies such as the war in Darfur and the very local xenophobic violence.
But responding to disasters and emergencies are not what the main body of philanthropists are really engaged in, and in this sense a distinction needs to be made between charitable-giving and philanthropy. The latter is about giving with a vision for sustainable impact. And there are many people out there who have the potential to give, but who need guidance on developing a vision on how their money can have impact.
Philanthropic giving funds libraries, cultural events, hospital buildings, art galleries, youth services, parks and gardens, advocacy, publications and so much more than just disaster and poverty relief. Similarly, in many instances where philanthropic giving ensures that a project of whatever nature to sees the light of day, volunteerism is of what keeps such projects going.
The first step towards guiding people onto a giving-path, is to make it clear that philanthropy can and does indeed contribute to healthier communities. The next step is to develop a vision that can lead to a giving-strategy. Such a strategy, as Tracy Gary and Melissa Kohner outline in their book Inspired Philanthropy, can turn your charitable-giving, no matter how big or small, into a vehicle for social change.
There are numerous and diverse needs in our local communities that require philanthropic support. You need not be wealthy, although invariably it is mainly very wealthy people who capture headlines as philanthropists. But philanthropy is less about how much you give, and more about the lasting impact your giving has had on a community or even society as a whole. To ensure that South Africa has a diverse range of local role-model philanthropists, Inyathelo runs the annual Inyathelo Philanthropy Awards (nominations close on 30th June 2010).
More immediately though, to provide energetic engagement between local grantmakers, philanthropists, grant seekers and development officers, Inyathelo will be hosting Ms Teboho Mahuma on Monday 12th July. Ms Mahuma, CEO of the Impala Bafokeng Trust based in the North-West Province, will explore pertinent questions around the notion of philanthropy and why people give. She is being hosted as part of the bi-monthly “Breakfast on the 2nd Floor” series of gatherings at Inyathelo’s offices in Woodstock.
- For more information on the “Breakfast on the 2nd Floor” and to RSVP for the July 12 event, click here
- For more information on how philanthropy can work in different ways, click here to view profiles of awardees of the annual Inaythelo Philanthropy Awards
- Click here to nominate your philanthropy champion for the Inyathelo Philanthropy Awards, before the 30th June deadline.
- For more information on Ms Teboho Mahuma, the guest speaker at the July 12th Breakfast on the 2nd Floor gathering, click here
- For a report on the previous Breakfast on the 2nd Floor gathering at Inyathelo’s offices on May 17, click here.
- Inspired Philanthropy by Tracy Gary and Melissa Kohner can be found in Inyathelo’s specialist resource centre. For me information on the resource centre and to view the list of books available, click here.
- Inspired Philanthropy by Tracy Gary and Melissa Kohner (2007 / 3rd edition), book purchase information.
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