Almost exactly five years ago I sat down at my computer and typed out eight simple words. “Welcome to the Second Great Wave of Philanthropy.” They were the first words I ever wrote on this blog. At the time I never would have guessed that those little words would launch me on a journey of […]
Category Archives: Second Great Wave of Philanthropy
The Hewlett Foundation’s Next President
September 9, 2011 – 6:00 am
Last week I wrote about Paul Brest retiring as the president of the Hewlett Foundation and why I think he has played such an important role. Since then I’ve heard lots of off the record ideas from people in the field about who the Hewlett Foundation board should name to replace Paul. So I thought […]
Philanthropy’s Community: Observers, Fans, Evangelists & Ambassadors
June 22, 2011 – 9:02 am
Speaking at the Millennial Donor Summit this morning, Matt Britton of acclaimed social media agency Mr. Youth talked about what makes a community. In his words, the key elements of community are: Observers, who watch, Fans, who participate, Evangelists, who recruit, and Ambassadors, who represent. Now there are all sorts of models like this that […]
The Meaning of Mark Zuckerberg’s Philanthropy
September 24, 2010 – 9:48 am
Once upon a time, financially successful people spent the bulk of their lives working and then, after they retired, they would “give back” some of what they had earned in the form of philanthropy. Their largest philanthropic gifts were often made upon their death. Today, at least for the uber-successful, philanthropy is something you do […]
Giving Pledge Media Attention
August 6, 2010 – 9:08 am
The Giving Pledge is generating a huge amount of mainstream media attention (2,110 news mentions and counting). What I find exciting about the coverage is that instead of just focusing on the amount of the promised pledges, many of the stories examine whether the Pledge might signal a new era for philanthropy. While I’ve been […]
