UK philanthropy's greatest achievements?

Dear Editor,

I recently read with great interest the article UK Philanthropy's Greatest Achievements. I found it exciting to think that individuals could, through their vision, leadership and personal funding of the issues, be credited with such significant developments as the abolition of the slave trade, and fostering a universal education system.

The article inspired me. It made me realize that we in Canada know little about the role of philanthropy in Canada's social history. In my role supporting our bank's private clients in their strategic philanthropy, I thought what better way to encourage and support them than through some Canadian role models.

The Bank of Montreal has consequently commissioned Canada's equivalent of the Institute for Philanthropy to undertake research into our history of philanthropy. We have lots of data on how much Canadians give annually (about Can$9 million last year) and the causes we support, but surprising little information about what philanthropy has accomplished. In order to celebrate philanthropy in this country, we need to know more about its impact.

I am grateful to the Institute for having planted the seed for this project. I hope our research uncovers as many significant achievements as revealed in the UK study.

Marvi Ricker
Bank of Montreal, Canada

Dear Editor,

I read UK philanthropy's greatest achievements in the last issue of your newsletter with a sense of amazement. I have no doubt that the achievements of philanthropists are many - so there is no need to start going round cherry-picking every major social innovation as the achievement of philanthropy.

One example of this appropriation of other people's achievements is the abolition of the slave trade. The movement to abolish the slave trade was neither started nor finished by philanthropy, but by a few dedicated campaigners who used all the campaigning techniques at their disposal. Donations were needed and used, but as much for the ill-fated resettlements in Sierra Leone as the abolition campaign itself.

Perhaps the real issue that this raises is the definition of philanthropy itself. Surely philanthropy is about major and proactive gifts of money, not small-scale and reactive gifts (let alone the work of individual volunteers and campaigners). If philanthropy is now about a donation of any size or even the donation of time as well as money then surely the strategic focus needed to grow philanthropy is being lost.

Joe Saxton
nfpSynergy