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Jul-Dec 2006
27 Dec 2006: Radio 4's Jenni Murray discussed women and philanthropy with Dame Stephanie Shirley, entrepreneur and founder-director of the Shirley Foundation ("Women and Philanthropy Today"). They explored why there has been an increase in the number of women philanthropists, why there seem to be so few high-profile women givers in the UK, and whether wealthy women have a different approach to giving money away than do men.
27 Dec 2006: Andrew Jack in the Financial Times looks at how Warren Buffett's gift might influence other major donors ("Manna from Omaha: a year of 'giving while living' transforms philanthropy",). He highlights the trend towards greater involvement in the causes supported by philanthropists, and concludes that few would deny that the competitive business approach to philanthropy is bringing new dynamism, money and skills.
22 Dec 2006: Charities are becoming ever more dependent on the generosity of a dwindling supply of donors, according the Financial Times ("Charities look to the wealthy for richer pickings"). The article notes the arrival of the "new altruists" who want to "relish the impact of their largesse - and to ensure they achieve the greatest possible return on their generosity".
17 Dec 2006: Heather Connon in The Observer moots the theory that "the new status symbol among the very rich is philanthropy" ("There's much more to giving it away than simply handing it out"). This is borne out in part by the existence of new bodies aimed at supporting philanthropy, including Philanthropy UK.
18 Nov 2006: The Spectator claims that the latest fashion in the City is philanthropy ("The City's new boom market: philanthropy"). The article says that today's donors are more hands-on than those in previous generations, and that they are "blurring the boundaries between charity, the private sector and the state".
13 Nov 2006: In a special section on giving, The New York Times focuses on the "new breed of 'philanthropreneurs'… [who are] driven to do good and have their profit". It also highlights the number of philanthropic initiatives in the hedge fund community, including the UK's Children's Investment Fund Foundation, and points to the changing culture of giving in Britain.
November 2006: Director magazine, published by the Institute of Directors, focuses on philanthropy, examining the trend for greater giving of time and expertise as well as money with the desire to see social returns ("Cause and effect"). The article quotes Philanthropy UK Director Susan Mackenzie, who spoke about the desire among the newly wealthy to give something back to society: "I am always impressed by how humble and earnest these people are".
22 Oct 2006: The Sunday Telegraph reports on the increasing number of private equity firms entering the world of philanthropy ("The low-key rise of the smart-trousered philanthropist"). The article quotes Philanthropy UK Director Susan Mackenzie, who highlights the growing number of individuals in the private equity world who give generously.
9 Sep 2006: An opinion piece in the Financial Times encourages people to give to an existing charitable trust ("Little Miss Buffett"). The author gives the example of "the highly efficient - and effective - grant-making decisions of the Wessex Youth Trust", which was originally set up by the Earl and Countess of Wessex to give away all the money raised from the media coverage of their wedding in 1999.
8 Sep 2006: Chief Executive of the Man Group, one of Britain's highest-paid businessmen, has decided to give up his job to concentrate on charitable work, reports The Independent ("Finance and philanthropy: The acceptable face of Capitalism"). As one of the world's top hedge fund managers, Stanley Fink has amassed a fortune of £180m. But a health scare made him reassess his life.
2 Jul 2006: Philanthropy UK Director Susan Mackenzie outlined a change in attitudes towards philanthropy in an opinion piece for the Sunday Express ("We've found gift of giving"). She said: "We are on the cusp of a sea change in charitable giving in the UK", noting that there is a shift in the profile of the wealthiest, from inherited wealth to self-made millionaires. "The newly wealthy, however they made their money, want to give something back to the community in the same way that their American counterparts do."
1 Jul 2006: An article in The Independent ("How to give it all away to the most deserving cause") encourages people to think about a giving strategy and quotes David Emerson, chief executive of the Association of Charitable Foundations: "[Your giving strategy] should clearly articulate what causes you want to support and how you will support them…You need a decision process and giving criteria." The article also references A Guide to Giving, the handbook for philanthropists published by Philanthropy UK.
Jan-Jun 2006
29 Jun 2006: Reporting on Warren Buffett's gift of $31 billion to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Economist coins a new term, 'Billanthropy'. The article analyses the philosophy behind American philanthropy: "To foreign observers, American capitalism looks ruthless. It creates great fortunes, and also great inequality. Yet there is an unwritten contract at its heart: that the winners shall use some of their wealth to compensate the losers." The article also points out the pitfalls of eponymous foundations that outlive their founders, and calls on givers to, "…if your aim is to be a truly philanthropic philanthropist, spend your money fast: do as much good as you can when you're alive, and let posterity go hang."
22 Jun 2006: In a comment article in The Times ("Why it's rich to attack Gates"), Camilla Cavendish takes a swipe at the mean-spiritedness of the British in attacking wealthy Americans such as Bill Gates and Sandy Weill for their philanthropy - and the business success that enables it. She praises the new generation emerging in London who seem to be more comfortable with American-style giving: “…a new breed of entrepreneurial philanthropists who have got rich quite young and who work almost as hard at making their money work for charity … as they did at making it in the first place."
May-June 2006: Charity Times ("It's all in the planning") examines different ways of giving in the US, such as through gift annuities, but says that the UK Government is wary of introducing such schemes because of the fear of abuse of the system by tax evaders. Theresa Lloyd, author of Why Rich People Give, published by Philanthropy UK, commented: "The fact is, all the evidence in the US points to this being a hugely successful mechanism for raising money from people with middling levels of wealth."
14 May 2006: Radio 4's Moneybox programme discussed the role of philanthropy in providing educational scholarships. Philanthropy UK's Beth Breeze explained the historical context and commented on philanthropists' decisions to fund specific types of individuals, such as those sharing the donor's gender, home town or surname.
23 Apr 2006: Sir Tom Hunter, who recently led a £311m bid to take over Wyevale Garden Centres, urges fellow members of The Sunday Times Rich List to join the Giving List ("If you are on the Rich List, think about giving it away now") . Through philanthropy, he says, "You can literally change the world and get great pleasure from doing it… You will never make a better investment".
16 Apr 2006: Tristram Hunt in The Observer says media reaction to giving, particularly to City Academies, is stifling philanthropy ("How to stifle philanthropy"). He says: "The opprobrium being levelled at academy sponsors risks discouraging future patrons: potential donors might well fear it is just not worth the risk to their reputation."
13 Apr 2006: The Daily Mail covers the story of 45-year-old hedge fund manager, Philip Richards, who has decided to give away half of his £7.6 million salary to charity. Richards, founder of RAB Capital, is thought to be worth £80m and is known to have regularly tithed one-tenth of his annual salary to charity during his City career.
April 2006: One of Britain's wealthiest philanthropists, Swedish-born Sigrid Rausing, gave Vogue a rare interview this spring. The daughter of Hans Rausing, the Tetra-Pak billionaire, she moved to England when she was 18. Now aged 42, she talks about the Sigrid Rausing Trust, which has given £60m in grants to causes as diverse as the Kurdish Human Rights Project and Fauna & Flora International. The trust plans to give away a further £15m this year.
25 Mar 2006: David Rowan's regular 'trendsurfing' column in The Times highlights the move by philanthropists towards wanting a 'return' on their investment. He cites Bill Gates calculating the impact of eradicating malaria on Africa's gross domestic product.
8 Mar 2006 Third Sector supplemented a feature article on charity communications with profiles of a variety of philanthropy infrastructure organisations, including Philanthropy UK. Types of support covered were regulation, donor services, projects, websites and books.
3 Mar 2006: the Economist featured a survey on wealth and philanthropy (February 25th-March 3rd 2006 issue). The survey examined how donors and organisations are becoming more businesslike in their giving.
15 Jan 2006: Inspired by Philanthropy UK's profile of philanthropist Michael Oglesby in A Guide to Giving, The Telegraph ran a more in-depth profile of Oglesby ("The new philanthropists"), focusing on both his corporate and personal philanthropy, and highlighting northern philanthropists' "powerful sense of duty to the communities where they made their money and their willingness to get their hands dirty in giving something back".
2005
16 Dec 2005: The Financial Times, in association with the King Baudouin Foundation, published a pull-out section on Understanding Philanthropy (European edition). The 16-page insert included articles on individual giving, cross-border giving, cultural differences and corporate philanthropy.
14 Dec 2005: A BBC Online article on Dame Anita Roddick's decision to give away all of her £51m fortune addressed various challenges to giving away money effectively, and highlighted a number of philanthropy resources, including Philanthropy UK's A Guide to Giving ("How to give away £51m").
