Summer 2010: Promoting Philanthropy

You may have noticed a small but important change to our ‘newsletter’ – it has a new name and going forward will be known as the ‘Philanthropy UK Quarterly’. The new title reflects the development the publication has undergone since its launch in 2001. While adhering to the original principles set out by Philanthropy UK founder Theresa Lloyd, who continues to be a driving force, the publication has grown in stature to offer in-depth features on issues that affect the sector, along with a wealth of thoughtful articles from contributors. It has almost doubled subscribers in the last year and is now read in more than 70 countries. We hope the ‘Quarterly’ title will also help differentiate this publication from our fortnightly News Bulletin, which covers UK philanthropy current affairs.

Much of the credit for the development of Philanthropy UK, a project of the Association of Charitable Foundations, is due to our editorial board and particularly its chairman, independent consultant David Carrington, who was instrumental in bringing together a consortium of organisations to develop and foster a network for those interested in exploring and promoting new ideas about philanthropy in 2004. David is standing down after six years at the helm of the editorial board to pursue an interesting semi-retirement plan. David’s endless generosity, deep knowledge, broad experience and vision have been the lynchpins around which Philanthropy UK has thrived. We wish David well and offer a public ‘thank-you’ for all he has given to Philanthropy UK.   

In this edition, we take an in-depth look at ‘promoting philanthropy’, timely considering the recent launch of ‘The Giving Pledge’ in the US by philanthropy leaders Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, in which they ask fellow billionaires to pledge to give away 50% of their wealth. They lead by example and aim to use their influence to activate and empower philanthropists. Melissa Berman, president of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, offers thoughts on the implications of the pledge in building a powerful peer-to-peer philanthropy network in her Letter from America.

We also feature the campaign in a series of articles that explore the role marketing and donors might play in promoting and activating philanthropy with views from practitioners and experts. As a diversion and a discussion point we include an idea for a campaign to promote philanthropy and activate philanthropists using social marketing strategies.

Writing in the EuroView column Dr Marta Rey, non-profit management and marketing specialist based at University of A Coruña, Spain, focuses on how relationship marketing can help map ‘the archipelago’ of foundations to better understand the ecosystem of which they are a part.

Dr Beth Breeze reviews Nicola Elkins' book How to maximise your strategic giving, along with notices of recent philanthropy focussed publications, while Dr Astrid Bonfield, of The Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund shares the reading that has influenced her thinking.

And in My Philanthropic Journey entrepreneur and ‘apprentice’ philanthropist Brian Fenwick-Smith reflects on his giving journey inspired by a passion for education.

We hope you enjoy this edition of the Philanthropy UK Quarterly and welcome feedback on the issues covered. Email editor@philanthropyuk.org

Best wishes,
Cheryl Chapman
managing editor

• Managing Editor: Cheryl Chapman
• Editor: Laura McCaffrey
• Editorial Board: David Carrington (Chair), Beth Breeze, David Emerson and Sue Wixley