2007

31 Dec 2007: In an article on venture philanthropy the Investor 's Chronicle uses two quotes from Philanthropy UK contributors Lord Adebowale, chief executive of social care charity Turning Point, and Jon Snow, Channel Four News presenter and  chairman of the New Youth Horizon Centre, to support it’s argument that this is good for both charities and donors.  It also cites Philanthropy UK as a valuable online resource for investors to seek guidance.

22 Dec 2007: The FT reports on the developing trend for high-net-worth individuals to seek advice from professional philanthropy advisors. Philanthropy UK’s free online advice is one of the resources featured.

22/21 Dec 2007: In two reports on the spending of the super-rich the FT argues that the “There is little doubt that the UK would be a better place if its rich citizens - many of whom work in the City - felt inclined to be more generous”  ("Rediscovering a British way to give") and in the article “Super-rich home in on London”  states the move is not just in buying bigger houses but having a ‘hands-on’ approach to philanthropy with specialist units such as Stonehage’s being established.

20 Dec 2007: The Telegraph, reporting on cash injections from the likes of the ECB and the bonus pools Goldman Sachs, also notes that “with a few exceptions, the City has forgotten the legacy of Andrew Carnegie” and this has “provided the perfect backdrop for the Policy Exchange think tank's call for a new philanthropy.”

14 Dec 2007: The Financial Times Wealth Quarterly includes an article on philanthropy ('Philanthropy: Self-made want to be hands-on donors') which draws on Philanthropy UK’s Wealth and Philanthropy report, published in September 2007. The article highlights that a “generation of self-made wealthy individuals seeks to engage in philanthropic activities, rather than simply leave their money to a charity or to their family in a will.”  The report and Philanthropy UK's highlighting of the trend has been listed in the online Editor's Choice blog of the 3miGroup, a US-based wealth creation company.

14 Dec 2007: Should the City give more to charity? was the topic of the Evening Standard's Influentials debate in London. Amongst the panellists were Arki Busson, hedge fund operator and founder of the ARK children's charity, and financier John Studzinski who debated the paucity of giving in the City. Christ Blackhurst reports on the debate and the current status of City giving.

 11 Dec 2007: Understanding Global Philanthropy, a report by the Financial Times, covers topics such as the new generation, Asia, corporations and donor collaboration. Susan Mackenzie, Philanthropy UK’s Director ,is interviewed in the introductory article ‘Charity no longer begins at home’ written by Sarah Murray.

4 Dec 2007: A successful decade-long partnership between a secondary school and a leading bank has earned dramatic results for the school, and individual students, reports Michael Skapinker in the Financial Times.

14 Nov 2007: How long should gifts just grow and other articles on philanthropy and charitable giving feature in a New York Times Giving supplement. Focusing on the personal and the political the supplement provides a thought-provoking snapshot of current US trends in philanthropy.

6 Nov 2007: At a round-table discussion on philanthropy organised by the Art Fund, the economist Will Hutton made the point that 15 years of growth in contemporary Britain has seen new fortunes unprecedented since the Edwardian era. The FT reports on the need for a sea-change in our way of thinking and how discussions have to be about why people give, how people give and how to encourage them to give more.

5 Nov 2007: The FT reports on the gift of SGD$21m (£6.7m) from the philanthropic Riady family and Lippo group of companies to the National University of Singapore Business School. The gift is the single largest private donation in the region and will attract a matching donation to the school from the Singapore government.

28 Oct 2007: Columnist Rachel Johnson writes in the Sunday Times about the trend in the high-net-worth community of supporting and teaching heirs to large fortunes how to manage future inheritances, and develop philanthropic practices; while the middle-classes neglect preparing their offspring for financial independence.

18 Oct 2007: Beth Breeze, Philanthropy UK’s Publications editor, asks why are only wealthy givers celebrated as philanthropists, as the latest 'Nobel prizes for giving', the Carnegie Medals, are handed out. Writing in the Guardian newspaper’s Society section she explores why we celebrate the philanthropy of the mega-rich compared to those with less who still give.

17 Oct 2007: Addressing delegates at fundraising consultancy Action Planning's Raising Funds From the Rich conference billionaire philanthropist Tom Hunter told charities that they were more likely to find wealthy donors if they appealed to their competitive streaks, reports the Third Sector online. He recommended that charities should approach potential philanthropists with business plans, which should define targets and say when they would be hit, adding that plans should be clear, precise, to the point and free of jargon.

4 Oct 2007: Despite growing concern for the state of the environment from Government and the public alike, only a tiny proportion of donations to charities go towards green causes, an New Philanthropy Capital report Green Philanthropy has revealed, writes Emily Dugan in The Independent. Less than 2 per cent of UK charitable grants go towards environmental concerns, and only 5 per cent of the £8bn donated annually by private individuals goes to green charities. The reports author Bernard Mercer, who sat on Philanthropy UK’s Editorial Board till 2006, said: "There's a tremendous public conscience about poverty, but there isn't an analogous one for the environment. There are some shocking facts.

To register and order a copy of the report go to New Philanthropy Capital’s website.

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26 Sep 2007: In the Third Sector’s regular ‘How to’ column Emma Rigby interviews Philanthropy UK Director Susan Mackenzie, and others in the sector, on ‘How to Recruit and Maintain Major Gift Donors’. Ms Mackenzie says a bespoke approach works best, depending on donors' interests and their capacity to give: "...get them excited about the organisation, communicate the charity mission to them and point out the impact they could make."

20 Sep 2007: UK Fundraising news reports that Philanthropy UK, the resource for aspiring philanthropists, has redeveloped its website. Howard Lake writes that its aim is to offer "practical information and tools to enable donors to give effectively and to make a positive contribution to their community."

18 Sep 2007: Wealth Bulletin reports on the launch of Philanthropy UK’s website, saying it provides a comprehensive guidance and useful points of contact for philanthropists. Susan Mackenzie, director, Philanthropy UK, is quoted saying: “Our aim is to support and encourage people who are serious about their charitable giving. With the dramatic increase in wealth in Britain, more individuals want to give, and this website helps them to have the confidence that their money is really making a difference.”

17 Sep 2007: Aspiring philanthropists can now turn to the web for a comprehensive guide to getting started, writes Emilie Filou in Third Sector Online. In an attempt to encourage people - whatever their backgrounds - to donate, giving advice service Philanthropy UK has set up a new site.

11 Sep 2007: Heather Payton meets some of the UK's high-profile philanthropists in the BBC Radio 4 series Giving It All Away, in which she asks Sara Davenport, Dame Stephanie Shirley, Tom Hunter, and Peter Moores on what motivates them to give.

6 Sep 2007: A US billionaire businessman has given away more than $650m over the last five years, reports the New York Times. For every three dollars philanthropists give away, the federal government typically gives up a dollar or more in tax revenue. Mr. Eli Broad says his gifts provide a greater public benefit than if the money goes to taxes for the government to spend. It is an argument made by many of the nation’s richest people. But not all of them.

6 Aug 2007: Socially responsible investment, taking into account environmental, social and governance issues is ‘better for the long term good’ writes Pauline Skypala in an interview in the Financial Times with Mike Taylor, chief executive of the London pensions Fund Authority, who said “…we can take the view that it is possible to take [environmental, social and governance] issues into account without a concern that might result in lower returns in the short term. You can take a view that it is better for the long-term good of your pensioners.”

3 Aug 2007: A network of former Goldman Sachs bankers is using its collective know-how to make a difference within the US philanthropy sector, reports the Wealth Bulletin. Former Goldman partners Charles Harris and Robert K. Steel co-founded SeaChange Capital Partners to aid charities raise money for expansion.

28 Jul 2007: Charitable giving is gaining momentum in the UK as more of the wealthy view themselves as "new philanthropists" and look to direct large chunks of their fortunes to worthy causes before they die. But the rest of us are also giving more writes Ellen Kelleher in the Financial Times Your Money section, with Sir Tom Hunter, Scotland's richest man, declaring himself a philanthropist on the scale of the great givers of history.

26 Jul 2007: Museums in Britain received precious objects worth more than £25.3m, including a diamond tiara, paintings and vintage steamboats, in lieu of inheritance tax in the past year, writes Maev Kennedy in The Guardian. The government faces a call to extend the scheme, so that donors who promise treasures to the nation after their death can receive tax concessions in their lifetimes. Mark Wood, chair of the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council, says: "Overhaul of the tax framework around philanthropic giving is long overdue."

22 Jul 2007: Are the new philanthropists trying to bridge the wealth gap truly making a difference, when recent research shows it is at its widest for 40 years? John-Paul Flintoff investigates for The Sunday Times.

21 Jul 2007: Mistrust of the rich is absurd writes Stephen Pollard in a column in The Times. Focusing on the recent 'cash for honours' investigation, his opinion is that politics needs more, not fewer wealthy men and women.

19 Jul 2007: "Billionaires are falling over themselves to give their money away as a wave of charitable giving sweeps the world. But if you're not Bill Gates or Tom Hunter don't worry, your tenner can still go a long way", writes Paul Willis in The Guardian Money section. He asks Philanthropy UK Director Susan Mackenzie what are the best ways to give to charity, however much you plan to donate.

19 Jul 2007: Chris Bond interviews Philanthropy UK Director Susan Mackenzie in the Yorkshire Post on the ‘new age’ of philanthropy. She says: "A new generation of business entrepreneurs and financial professionals has emerged, and with it has come changing attitudes to money.”

19 Jul 2007: ‘With Britain's super-rich dripping charity, it's almost like the 19th century’ reads the headline of Terry Macalister’s article in The Guardian about how the rapid rise of Britain's super-rich has led to a surge in giving.

18 Jul 2007: The new rich are being taught how to give away their money reports an Financial Times world report. An inaugural workshop spread over several months to February 2008, and run by the Institute of Philanthropy, is attracting people who have inherited wealth wishing to play fuller roles in family trusts.

15 Jul 2007: With unmatched wealth, today's financial giants are copying the example of the great early 20th Century philanthropists, writes Heather Connon in The Observer.

12 Jul 2007: Britain's super-rich are starting to feel the squeeze of public opinion. One way to ease the pressure would be to follow the example recently set by some multi-millionaires, and donate large sums to charity, says Beth Breeze, Philanthropy UK Newsletter publications editor, in this BBC Online magazine article.

11 Jul 2007: FT Wealth, Trends for the Wealthy provides both a broad overview of the rising trend in Philanthropy, particularly in the US, and detailed coverage of topics such as ‘Business-oriented venture philanthropists’ and ‘Philanthropy steps in where the state has failed’.

7 Jul 2007: Andrew Jack in an Financial Times report, Corporate Citizenship and Philanthropy, says in the lead article, ‘A Model still trying to prove itself’, “There is certainly a blurring of traditional definitions and divisions between for-profit and non-profit groups, and between corporate social responsibility and enlightened philanthropy. Many of the different actors face common challenges – and fresh scope for cooperation.”

5 Jul 2007: More may not be better when it comes to donating massive sums of money, writes Andrew Jack in an Financial Times report on the rise in giving and the potential problems this creates with disbursement.

5 Jul 2007: Most banks are keen to hold on to their clients’ money in order to generate fees, writes Andrew Jack in an Financial Times report. Mark Evans instead devises ways to help his customers give theirs away. When he joined Coutts in London two years ago as a private banker, he exploited a gap in the UK market for philanthropy services that his previous employers at Citigroup and JP Morgan had met in the US.

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8 Jun 2007: In his column in MoneyWeek Simon Nixon writes about Hazel Blears, Labour party chairwoman’s call for the government to do more to encourage philanthropy, and states that the ‘new philanthropy’ could be dangerous for some.

31 May 2007: In an opinion piece on GuardianUnlimited ("Raising the bar"), Ford Foundation President Susan Berresford argues that philanthropy must set its own standards for transparency and accountability and abide by them.

30 May 2007: Third Sector reports on a three-fold increase in the money distributed to charities by clients of New Philanthropy Capital over the past 18 months ("Philanthropy group now advises on £1m a month"). NPC attributes the increase largely to improved reporting about how money is spent by the charities it recommends. The article quotes Philanthropy UK Director Susan Mackenzie as saying that anecdotal evidence suggests giving is increasing, but only among the wealthiest. "There is much more still to be done," she concludes.

May 2007: Nature magazine carries a special series of features on philanthropy in science in its latest edition (Philanthropy in science), including an interesting news feature that focuses on donations to science and looks at the differences between research funded by non-profit foundations and philanthropists and that by government and industry.

24 Apr 2007: Magnus Grimond in The Times reports on the motivations of people wanting to set up a trust ("A simple cure for 'affluenza'"). He argues that giving might allay the worries of some newly wealthy people concerned about "affluenza" - how money can adversely affect their happiness.

21 Apr 2007: An article in The Telegraph ("The New Philanthropists" ) looks at giving by the super-rich, and the motivation and expectations behind their giving.

5 Apr 2007: Andrew Jack of the Financial Times talks to leading social enterprise supporters and critics and concludes that, "Without greater rigour, social enterprise will face difficulties in moving from the margins to the mainstream" ("Beyond charity? A new generation enters the business of doing good").

April 2007: The relationship between philanthropists and the charities they support comes under the spotlight in an article in VS magazine ("Doing business with philanthropists"). It looks at the increasing demand by donors for charities to meet agreed performance targets, and the arguments for and against such an approach.

2 Mar 2007: The Wall Street Journal reported on how the financial services boom in London is leading to more interest in charitable giving ("…Or even make a well informed contribution to charity"). The article highlights the financiers' investment approach to philanthropy, and their personal engagement in the charities they support.

25 Feb 2007: An article in The Sunday Times ("The new Victorians") highlights the "imperial fortunes… being made almost overnight", but unaccompanied by Victorian-style charity. However, the article notes that one barrier to giving is the UK's culture of "secrecy and cynicism": society often questions the motivations of the wealthy for giving, leading many people to give privately.

15 Feb 2007: The Economist has chided modern philanthropists for not being as generous as their Victorian forebears ("Bring back the Victorians"). Whilst the author acknowledges that Britons give more than people in countries with similar tax burdens, he laments that the "men with bushy whiskers and purposeful stares who founded so many British institutions are not coming back any time soon".

15 Feb 2007: As grant-making institutions seek greater influence on public perception, policies and practices worldwide, their need for greater openness and technical assessment has intensified, argues Michael Schrage in the Financial Times ("Charity needs a better foundation"). Philanthropic reform - not just new philanthropy - is essential, he maintains, and charities should be as accountable as their for-profit counterparts.

24 Jan2007: Chris Blackhurst in the Evening Standard laments the UK's lack of philanthropists in the mould of Paulson, Buffet and Gates ("So, why is there still no Richard and Joan charity foundation?"). While he recognises that the UK is changing, he says that, in the context of the World Economic Forum discussing issues such as world poverty, "we are nowhere".

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