nonprofit leadership podcast kathleen janus notes

In the meantime, here are few things to consider about philanthropy, in the sense of wealthy individuals donating large sums of money to causes. Leveraging this wealth in targeted ways - giving directly to charities and nonprofits rather than money pledged in the future or stowed away in a foundation or donor-advised fund - could alleviate many crises such as climate change, growing hunger, lack of access to water and sanitation, and unequal access to education.īut that’s only if the opportunities of philanthropy are realized. Globally, there are at least 260,000 charitable foundations in 39 countries that hold an accumulated wealth of $1.5 trillion, according to a report by Harvard. Most of the time, wealthy individuals channel their wealth through private foundations that carry tax benefits. The new Forbes 400 philanthropy score, inspired by Give While You Live and formed in partnership with Global Citizen earlier this year, found that the vast majority of billionaires in the US give very little of their wealth away to charity, while others, such as Buffett and George Soros, give extraordinary sums. If the world’s billionaires joined Global Citizen’s Give While You Live campaign - which calls on billionaires to give 5% of their wealth annually to charitable causes - they could help fill funding gaps critical to eliminating poverty and achieving the Global Goals by 2030. During the COVID-19 pandemic, US billionaires alone increased their wealth by nearly a trillion dollars. The world’s 2,153 billionaires, for example, hold more wealth than the poorest 4.6 billion people, according to Oxfam.

“Philanthropy is really critical to help seed those new ideas that can be really scaled by governments.”įor purposes of scale, efforts to encourage philanthropy often focus on the wealthy because of the immense fortunes that have accrued in recent decades. “Philanthropy is super important in terms of fueling innovation and ensuring that local organizations have the resources they need to be a voice on behalf of the causes we all care about,” Kathleen Kelly Janus, the special adviser for social innovation for the governor of California, told Global Citizen.

Most importantly, Buffett can act as an inspiration, highlighting and driving forward the positive impact philanthropy can have in achieving the UN’s Global Goals. The Prize for Philanthropy - alongside awards recognizing leaders in government, business, entertainment, among Global Citizens and young people, and more - honors a philanthropic individual or group who has shown extraordinary leadership, stepping forward to accelerate their giving in support of the world’s biggest challenges. That’s why, as part of Global Citizen Prize 2020, a celebration of leaders and activists around the world, we’ll be presenting a brand new award - the Global Citizen Prize for Philanthropy, to philanthropist Warren Buffett, historically the most giving person in the world. In pursuit of the United Nations’ Global Goals, philanthropy complements government spending and foreign aid to fund the projects that expand access to water, improve food security, ensure girls can go to school, and so much more. You might prefer other, simpler terms like “volunteer” or “good person,” but if it's an act characterized by a “love of humanity” and a desire to see other people thrive, then it's essentially philanthropy. In Ancient Greece, the playwright Aeschylus conceived of the term to mean “love of humanity.” Today, philanthropy is most often associated with the super wealthy who have personal foundations, teams of strategic advisers, and multi-year horizons for their donations.īut philanthropy isn’t all about donating money. At the end of the day, philanthropy can mean lending your time, skills, and knowledge in any capacity - whether it’s helping out at a food bank, building a house, or tutoring students. While philanthropy takes on many forms, it's fundamentally any act of charitable giving that improves the well-being of others. When you donated a few dollars to a local charity, that was also philanthropy. When the cast of the hit show Schitt's Creek raised funds for food banks during the pandemic, that was philanthropy. When Bill and Melinda Gates pledged billions in funding for research into a COVID-19 vaccine, that was philanthropy. You can join us in taking action on this issue here. Global Citizen’s Give While You Live campaign encourages billionaires to commit 5% of their wealth annually to charitable causes to aid in solving some of the world’s most pressing problems now, not later. Philanthropy can play a key role in achieving the United Nations’ Global Goals.

Nonprofit leadership podcast kathleen janus notes