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2013The New Philanthropy
A post by James V. Toscano Headlines scream, “Philanthropy is Dead!!!” while other headlines retort, “Philanthropy is Alive and Well!!!” What’s up? The reality is that traditional philanthropy is suffering under a barrage of criticism (see the Charitable-Industrial Complex post), that there is a new philanthropy based on very different assumptions, and that there is an emerging brand of philanthropy that will not accept anything except solutions and cures. Philanthropy is iterating and that’s good. Generational differences, conceptual and methodological developments, vastly different expectations and many other factors are motivating change in the way we give money, time and other…
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2013The Charitable-Industrial Complex
A Post from James V. Toscano In a provocative op-ed piece in Saturday’s New York Times. Peter Buffett, Warren Buffett’s son, takes on the present system of philanthropy with deep insight, passion and some outrage. Buffett focuses on the growing inequality in the society, with the consequent increase in philanthropy by the rich, and the corresponding rise in the number of nonprofits to help “solve” the problems created by the inequality. He points out: “As more lives and communities are destroyed by the system that creates vast amounts of wealth for the few, the more heroic it sounds to “give…