Professor Jenny Harrow has been appointed as the first co-director, along with Cathy Pharoah, of the newly established research centre on charitable giving and philanthropy. She specialises in the study of voluntary sector management and is based at Cass Business School, which is part of City University in London.
Philanthropy UK caught up with Jenny to ask about her new role.
To bring a global perspective to this special edition, Philanthropy UK invited a range of contributors to provide a high-level overview of women and philanthropy in seven countries.
It is a paradox that everyone agrees the UK lacks a decent body of philanthropic research and yet there exist widely known ‘facts’ such as the rise of new philanthropy, the prevalence of self-made donors over inheritees, the lower levels of giving in the UK compared to the USA and the greater generosity of people with smaller incomes.
The role of research in giving decisions is not clear-cut. Whilst many donors, particularly those who describe themselves as ‘new philanthropists’, advocate using data and research-based information, other donors emphasise the importance of following their passions and trusting their emotional impulses in making decisions about giving.
The 2008 Allen Lane lecture, given on 12th February by Frank Field, former Minister for Welfare Reform in the Labour government from 1997-98, included a proposal to encourage philanthropy amongst those earning over £150,000 a year by levying an additional 10% tax.
An analysis of every published article about philanthropy in UK newspapers in 2006 revealed a distinct difference in the way the media reports the activities of male and female philanthropists.
For well over a year, the Philanthropy UK news bulletin has included a regular column dedicated to analysing the impact of the recession on philanthropy in the UK.
The first 32 winners of the Pepsi Refresh Project were announced at the end of March, and the initial distribution of $1.3m (£746,000) to a range of projects nominated and voted for by consumers has been widely judged a success.
The two keywords for this edition of Reading tea leaves, Philanthropy UK’s regular update on the impact of the recession on UK philanthropy, are ‘care’ and ‘confidence’. Donor care and donor confidence to be precise.
