WINGS Froum breakfast session- The role of philanthropy in society: whats there? whats next?

In the June 2015 issue of Alliance Caroline Hartnell observed that during her 16-year tenure as editor of Alliance, philanthropy had become more advanced in its methods of planning, implementation and evaluation, but there had been correspondingly little progress in clarifying its role and purpose. An ongoing open-ended study seeking to fill this gap and understand the role of philanthropy is beginning to shine light on new areas and innovation within philanthropy with implications for both its role and purpose. The rise of giving by individuals with modest incomes in places like India and Russia, the growing prominence of corporate philanthropy in numerous countries in the global South, and the promise of mass funding via online giving in restrictive environments like Russia are just a few of the emerging trends that question our old notions of the power dynamics within philanthropy as well as the power of philanthropy – philanthropy by whom and to what end? What does this mean for how we support and build the field and ensure that it is tuned to fulfil its potential?

This breakfast sessionat the WINGS Forum on Thursday, Feb 23, 2016 at 7:45 AM will present the preliminary findings of the first phase of the study on four countries (India, Russia, Kenya, Brazil) and the Arab region. The session will be designed to seriously engage the audience with the findings. (There will be an element of fun too!) The session will be of interest to philanthropy support organisations who are interested in developing philanthropy in countries where it is less documented and often less institutionalized, and also to those who want to reimagine the role of philanthropy in countries where it is highly institutionalized and well documented.

Session Moderator – Barry Knight, CENTRIS, Webb Memorial Trust, UK

Session Participants: The session will most likely be highly interactive, set up as a workshop to engage the audience without a panel of speakers. However the following individuals will be supporting the conversations:

  1. Ana Valeria Araujo, Brazil Human Rights Fund
  2. Andrew Milner, Independent consultant
  3. Masha Chertok, CAF Russia
  4. Chandrika Sahai, Working Group on Philanthropy for Social Justice and Peace