In class this week we discussed the values that lead us to give, along with the values that help us decide where to give. As a person who thought I'd had myself totally figured out, it was interesting to see how difficult it was for me to pinpoint exactly where I'd like to get involved. This Huffington Post article - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/albert-ii-of-monaco/philanthropy-a-new-approa_b_4677102.html - helped me to further understand what values are of highest priority to me.
The article discusses the new generation of philanthropists that has been born and the innovations that their characteristics and the available technology can bring to philanthropy. The article also highlights a new award, the Prince's Prize for Innovative Philanthropy, which the author will be awarding, "Later this month [to] a particularly creative and inspiring individual." He hopes that this award will shed light on the innovative work that is being done and inspire future giving.
This article helped me to understand the importance that innovation and creativity have in philanthropy and how important those qualities are in influencing my giving process. The issues that exist today aren't new. We have been trying to combat hunger, poverty, economic instability, corruption, etc. forever, but these problems continue to challenge the developing and developed world. What we need, and what is highlighted in this article, are new ways of approaching these issues. A creative philanthropist is an artist who's work manifests itself in the form of new methods to solve old problems. S/He is a painter of ideas that can help philanthropy to evolve and transform to create real change.
This article gives a few examples of innovative philanthropists http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Making-a-difference/2012/1118/Giving-back-Eight-innovative-philanthropists-around-the-world/A-bike-as-economic-engine. The first example really struck a cord for me. It explains how the World Bicycle Relief's donation of a single bicycle helped one farmer double his profits, allowing him to send his children to school. Transportation is a huge issue in developing nations, where costumers, doctors, and, in many cases, clean water, are a lengthy distance away. A simple, basic bike has solved this problem for many, along with provided jobs at the six facilities in Africa where the bikes that the foundation donates are assembled. This is just one example of successful innovation, but the possibilities of similarly small solutions to large problems are infinite.
I challenge you to pinpoint where you have been innovative in your philanthropic work and the effect that it had. I'd like to know what role you believe creativity plays and where you've seen it lead to success in philanthropy.
Juliette
Juliette, great articles and very important point to bring up. The issue of creative philanthropy becomes more and more prevalent as the world is challenged with complex problems. I cannot specifically identify a time when I have been innovative in my individual work, but I would like to speak about the role of creativity.
ReplyDeleteI believe that creativity plays an essential role in solving complex philanthropic issues. Creativity in the sense that a simple solution may be obvious, but the ways in which it is carried out are creative, e.g. the bike example. I would point out that creativity can be both simple solutions to complex problems and complex solutions to simple/complex problems. In an age where people want the "latest and greatest," creative ideas are always being sought. This is not a bad thing, but sometimes a creative idea can be a simple one as well.
Therefore I think the role of creativity in philanthropic work is crucial but should not be overstated. Sometimes there are effective solutions that are already in place that work wonders. As the old saying puts it "If it works, don't fix it." Similarly in philanthropy, while everyone is encourage to continually come up with better and more creative solutions in order to more effectively achieve the goal, sometimes doing what is already in place and what works may be the best solution.
So my question to the class then is as follows: Would we use creativity as a deciding factor between granting money to one particular non-profit over another? Personally I think other values other than how creative the non-profit is at achieving their goal come first. For example, effectiveness, overall aims, allocation of funds, etc. . . What does everyone else think?
I agree that creativity should not be the be all end all of our decision. If an organization is effective with a tried and true strategy, and can prove that they are making a difference, they should of course be considered for the money. However, I would say that if there were two organizations that were effective, and one had an innovative strategy, I personally might be more inclined to pick the organization that was pioneering new efforts, because to me that shows great initiative and a dedication to the cause.
ReplyDeleteAn organization that is actively trying to find new ways to better the world, rather than using traditional methods (which while they work, have not eradicated the problem) demonstrates a commitment to progress. I'm not saying that traditional organizations are not important, they are actually crucial. Their job is to hold the floodgates closed while permanent solutions are thought of and tested.
Both tried-and-true methods, and innovative approaches, work together in order to make the world a better place.
Creativity in philanthropy is certainly an important characteristic to look out for. It speaks, not only to the efforts of the organization that's using creative methods, but also to the founders and leaders of the organization, who are probably younger and more innovative if they're using more creative methods. When we as a class evaluate charities, I think creativity would be an important characteristic to look for and note.
ReplyDeleteDespite this, I don't consider it to be that important. What I and probably the majority of the class care about is that the money we give works efficiently and directly to help the charities we gave it to. Creativity is a "separator" characteristic, one that doesn't move a charity to top consideration, but can help it get chosen once it's already shown to be a top choice for other more fundamental reasons.