Global Trends Analysis
Changing Philanthropy
Private channels of giving to the developing world come in the form of philanthropy, investments, and remittances sent home by migrants working abroad. In the coming years these sources of funds will outpace government aid even further than today. They will increasingly bypass the conventional institutional aid architecture, and will move more toward direct engagement with indigenous talent and institutions. Lines of communication with Global South partners will shorten, but the vetting and evaluating of these partnerships will prove challenging to the donor. Monetary aid will be accompanied by an increase in donated labor, creative energy and social capital. Additional innovative uses of technology such as with social networking will be developed to mobilize and engage donors and volunteers. Western philanthropy will be results-oriented to a greater extent, often pragmatically focusing on evidence-based methods and outcomes.
Implications for the Global Church: Generosity is a basic Christian value, despite economic ebbs and flows or potential changes in tax laws in the West. Striking a balance between seeking results versus relationship and valuing the tangible and the intangible – i.e., treating giving as more than a transaction – will lessen the divide between the Global South and North. The language and categories of accountancy or the ambiguously spiritual are not adequate for philanthropy, nor are timeframes for evaluation that do not allow for long-term processes of change. Both openness and caution are merited when engaging in cooperative efforts with government and secular development agencies. New emerging models that are effective should be continuously researched and shared.
on Wed January 06, 2010, 4:50 AM