Academic texts and philanthropy history

Making good society; Final report of the commission of inquiry into the future of civil society in the UK and Ireland
Carnegie UK Trust
London. March 2010. 176pp. ISBN 978-0-900259-67-8

This final report of the Commission of Inquiry into the Future of Civil Society, argues that civil society has been pushed to the margins in key areas including politics, finance and the media and that this must change. The report explores how civil society activity can help:

• grow a more civil economy;
• enable a rapid and just transition to a low carbon economy
• democratise media ownership and content
• grow participatory and deliberative democracy

• Read an article about the report in the Philanthropy UK Bulletin
• Free download of the report available from the Carnegie UK Trust website

Beyond ‘flat-earth’ maps of the third sector: Enhancing our understanding of the contribution of ‘below-the-radar’ organisations
John Mohan, University of Southampton
David Kane, Karl Wilding, National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO)
Julia Branson, Fiona Owles, GeoData Institute, University of Southampton
Northern Rock Foundation Third Sector Trends Study/Teeside University. February 2010. 31pp.
www.nr-foundation.org.uk
This paper summarises a fuller report on research commissioned by the Northern Rock Foundation’s Third Sector Trends Study (TSTS) to assess the scale and distribution of ‘below-the-radar’ (BTR) organisations. The specific aim of this study was to provide a picture of the local third sector in North East England and Cumbria which went beyond organisations appearing on lists provided by regulatory bodies such as the Charity Commission. Many organisations do not appear on such ‘radars’, with the result that research risks producing what one commentator described as ‘flat earth maps’ of the third sector.

• Read an article about the report in the Philanthropy UK Bulletin
• Free download of the report available from the Northern Rock Foundation website

What makes a third sector organisation tick? Interactions of foresight, enterprise, capability and impact
Tony Chapman, Fred Robinson, Judith Brown, Robert Crow, Victoria Bell and Emma Bailey
Northern Rock Foundation Third Sector Trends Study/Teeside University. February 2010. 103pp.
www.nr-foundation.org.uk
This briefing paper summarises the findings of the second working paper from the
Northern Rock Foundation Third Sector Trends Study (TSTS). It reports on ‘TSO50’,
a study of 50 Third Sector Organisations (TSOs) in North East England and Cumbria.

The aim of the study is to explore how TSOs of different types change over time
in response to:
• external circumstances which are largely beyond their control (such as the political
and economic environment)
• the dynamics of their own organisation (which is affected by, for example:
organisational mission, practices, resources and impact)
• changing beneficiary needs, or perceptions of need, in a complex social market.

• Read an article about the report in the Philanthropy UK Bulletin
• Free download of the report available from the Northern Rock Foundation website

The application of learning & research to the practice of philanthropy
David Carrington
European Philanthropy Research And Teaching Initiative. November 2009. 28pp.
The report outlines the current state of philanthropy research and teaching within Europe, and suggests a stronger and more effective framework could be built to ‘close the gap’ between learning and application of the practice of philanthropy.

The study looked at the variety of research into philanthropy and social investment, the perceived gaps in the knowledge base, and how such knowledge and learning could be more effectively and sustainably generated and disseminated. It also looked at who is setting the agenda for this research and how it is funded.

• Read an article about the report in the Philanthropy UK Bulletin
• Free download of the report available from the Philanthropy UK website
 

Charitable Giving by UK households at Christmas
A briefing note from the Centre for Charitable Giving and Philanthropy at Cass Business School , City University London
London, Centre for Charitable Giving and Philanthropy, December 2009. 4pp.
www.cgap.org.uk

Charities in the UK have traditionally launched special appeals for donations in the period before Christmas. Christmas is a time of giving and they hope to persuade the public to extend their generosity during the festive season to charities. But apart from a few individual charities’ reports, we know little about whether people are more inclined to give to charities at Christmas.

This briefing note presents new results from an analysis of seasonal patterns in giving to charities. Examining data from the national Expenditure and Food Survey (EFS)1 we look at general patterns of giving by UK households over the calendar year to consider whether the extra emphasis on fundraising in the autumn/early winter has an impact.

Findings include:
• Average donations to charity rise in December
• This is due to a 5% increase in the numbers of people giving, and not to bigger gifts
• Donations to charity at Christmas do not rise as much as some other forms of giving, or as spending on alcohol.

• Read an article about this research in the Philanthropy UK Bulletin
• The report is available for free download from the Centre for Charitable Giving and Philanthropy website

Feminism and Voluntary Action
Linda Mahood
Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, September 2009. 291pp. Hardback. ISBN 978-0-230-52560-3. £55.00
www.palgrave.com

Women born late in Victoria's reign were beneficiaries of expanded educational opportunities; however, legal and social conventions stifled many ambitions. Charity work represented a chance for adventure and rebellion, but it was also thankless work that could be physically and morally exhausting. Like many other women from her class background, Eglantyne Jebb, was drawn into what was called philanthropy and charity work. A grammar school teacher, publicist and fundraiser for Macedonian Relief Fund, Agricultural Organization Society, Fight the Famine Council and co-founder of Save the Children, Jebb led a group of feminists and pacifists to collaborate on the Declaration of the Rights of the Child, endorsed by the League of Nations General Assembly on 26 November 1924 as the World Child Welfare Charter. This book uses Jebb's life as a lens through which to view the role volunteering played in women's lives before and after the First World War. By overcoming the patronizing connotations usually associated with being a ‘Lady Bountiful’, and by her efforts to give aid to children regardless of their race or creed, Jebb created the first international child welfare charity and brought a professional ethos to unpaid social work.

The State of Giving Research in Europe: Household donations to charitable organizations in twelve European countries
Pamala Wiepking (Ed.)
Amsterdam: Pallas Publications, July 2009. 76pp. Paperback. ISBN 978-90-8555-009-9. €14.50
Available from Amsterdam University Press http://www.aup.nl/do.php?a=show_visitor_book&isbn=9789085550099&l=2 
This publication is an output of a meeting held in January 2008 at VU University in Amsterdam, attended by many of the leading European academics who focus on charitable giving and philanthropy. This meeting was convened to establish a new European Research Network on Philanthropy (ERNOP), which seeks to increase the visibility and quality of philanthropic studies in Europe. Whilst every EU country has a philanthropic sector, and there is general agreement regarding the importance of understanding this area of activity, different definitions of philanthropy and different methodologies for collecting data have stymied attempts to generate pan-European findings. This publication is a first step in rationalizing knowledge about philanthropy across the continent. It contains information on household giving in 12 EU countries, written by a respected scholar working in each country. The editor, Pamala Wiepking, concludes that all 12 countries are undertaking serious studies of philanthropy but their ad hoc manner and lack of consistency makes it difficult to draw useful comparisons. However, it is hoped that ERNOP will facilitate more collaborative working and ensure that “there is a bright future for the study of philanthropy in Europe”.

Globalization, Philanthropy and Civil Society: Projecting institutional logics abroad
David C. Hammack and Steven Heydemann (Eds)
Bloomington, Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, June 2009. 320pp. Hardback. ISBN 978-0-253-35303-0. $45 http://iupress.indiana.edu 
The foreword to this edited volume correctly notes that, “Analytically constructed studies of philanthropy are in short supply” and books that do appear tend to be either “self-congratulatory, mostly boring insider accounts” or “shrill denunciations by outsiders”. Yet as Peter Frumkin has noted elsewhere, philanthropic studies is a tempting target for study, "ripe for systematic thinking and reconceptualisation". This book aims to demonstrate the value of social scientific studies of philanthropy.  It tackles its specific task of studying efforts to spread ideas and practices by means of the donation of money, goods, human action and ideas through the movement of models for the organisation of such activities as medical care, education, advocacy, social improvement and cultural expression. As the 10 chapters are written by academics, the language can be impenetrable (‘hegemonic’ and ‘isomorphism’ appear on the first two pages) but the topic is important. It is worth borrowing a copy to read at least the introductory chapter on ‘Philanthropic Projections’ which provides an overview of how the institutional logics of philanthropy are spread around the globe.

The First Principle of Voluntary Action: Essays on the independence of the voluntary sector
Matthew Smerdon (ed.)
London: Baring Foundation, March 2009. 136pp. ISBN 978-1-906172-02-2
Free to download at http://www.baringfoundation.org.uk/FirstPrincipleofVA.pdf
Since 2006 the Baring Foundation’s grants programme ‘Strengthening the Voluntary Sector’, has taken a close interest in deepening understanding of the changing nature of the independence of voluntary action. This report contains contributions addressing this question from seven countries – England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Canada, Germany and the USA. The essays confirm that independence is fundamental to the principle and practice of voluntary action and conclude that prime responsibility for protecting independence lies with the sector itself.

Philanthropy Reconsidered: Private initiatives – public good – quality of life
George McCully
Bloomington, Indiana: Authorhouse, August 2008. 130pp. Paperback. ISBN 978-1-4389-0561-7. £24.49. www.authorhouse.com
This small book has a big aim: to  illuminate what is happening in American philanthropy today, and what it all means. Taking a scholarly approach, drawing on philosophy, the classics and history, it claims to re-interpret philanthropy and provide a strategic overview of its meaning, values, greatest accomplishments, current transformations and future directions. The author draws on material published over the last 12 years  in the Catalogue for Philanthropy, an annual publication which McCully created to disseminate discussions about philanthropic issues and descriptions of charities, and is mailed to c.120,000 affluent US households.

Robert L. Payton and Michael P. Moody
Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, May 2008. 224pp. Cloth. ISBN 978-0-253-35049-7http://iupress.indiana.edu $24.95
Payton and Moody’s book is an extended argument that philanthropy is an interesting and important subject that deserves to be better understood and to be taken more seriously. It does largely fulfil its stated aim, although UK readers should brace themselves for a relentlessly upbeat approach and repetition of the mystifyingly widespread view that America invented philanthropy. Read the review in the September 2008 newsletter. 

Philanthropy, Patronage and Civil Society: Experiences from Germany, Great Britain and North America
Thomas Adam (ed). Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 2004
These ten essays are intended to help re-assess current approaches to philanthropy and offer a fresh perspective on how existing attitudes to charity have been formed. The style is at times too esoteric for the general reader but it is worth persevering to uncover the role that philanthropy has played at the heart of many of the most exciting and important changes within three societies in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
• Read the review in September 2006 Newsletter

Taking Philanthropy Seriously, Beyond Noble Intentions to Responsible Giving
William Damon and Susan Verducci (editors). Bloomington and Indianopolis: Indiana University Press, 2006
This collection of essays features contributions from many of the most interesting current thinkers on philanthropy. It has an unusual angle – the potential of philanthropy to fail in its goals and even to do harm because, as the foreword notes, “progress cannot be made without learning from past efforts”.

Strategic Giving: the art and science of philanthropy
Peter Frumkin. Chicago and London: University of Chicago Press, 2006
Based on interactions with over 100 donors, Frumkin identifies five functions of philanthropy: change, innovation, redistribution, pluralism and enabling donors to find meaning and purpose in their lives. This book also provides a framework for ‘strategic philanthropy’: once donors find a cause they are passionate about, they must make a series of choices regarding the value they seek to produce, the model to be pursued, the vehicles to be deployed, the style to be adopted and the time-frame that will guide the effort.
• Read the review in March 2007 Newsletter

Philanthropy in the World’s Traditions
Warren F. Ilchman, Stanley N. Katz & Edward L. Queen II. Bloomington & Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 1998
A treasure-trove of a book looking at how philanthropy has contributed to, and been shaped by, the various historical periods and different cultures in which it has existed. The scope of the essays is vast, including pre-colonial Africa, twentieth-century Russia and modern China.

Philanthropy in England 1480-1660: A study of the changing pattern of English social aspirations
W. K. Jordan. London: George Allen & Unwin, 1959
The first of the two major histories of English philanthropy to be published in the mid-twentieth century, Jordan bases his work on a comprehensive study of all charitable legacies made within this period from the late 15th to mid 17th century. Whilst not as comprehensive or widely appreciated as Owen’s history, the fine detail provided in the data, and his argument that benefactions allow us to trace changing social aspirations, makes this a fascinating read.

English Philanthropy 1660-1960
David Owen. London: Oxford University Press, 1965
Owen’s panoramic study is the starting point for most people who want to learn about the history of English philanthropy. Sprinkled with fascinating facts and quotes, this is literally a treasure trove of a book, as well as a learned introduction to an often under-appreciated aspect of England’s past.

The Nonprofit Sector: A Research Handbook, 2nd edition
Walter Powell & Richard Steinberg. London: Yale University Press, 2006
Whilst weighted towards the American experience, this book provides an exhaustive account of what is known about non-profits from a range of academic disciplines. Philanthropy is explained by economists, sociologists, historians, lawyers and social policy experts. It’s not a light read but it is comprehensive.

Christianity and Social Service in Modern Britain: The Disinherited Spirit
Frank Prochaska. Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2006
Prochaska is probably the most readable contemporary historian of UK philanthropy and readers will gain useful insights from any of his publications. The focus of this latest book is the importance of Christianity as an inspiration for political and social behaviour in the nineteenth century and an examination of the forces that undermined both religion and philanthropy in the twentieth century.
• Read the review in September 2006 Newsletter

Value led, market driven: Social enterprise solutions to public policy goals
Andrea Westall. London: Institute of Public Policy Research, 2001
The report explores the many possibilities of socially oriented enterprise and some of their opportunities and barriers to development.
• The publication is available from Central Books

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