As our global society grows more complex and the need for greater economic and social opportunity more pronounced, the role of philanthropy becomes ever more important — and more nuanced. The days are long past when the field of philanthropy could pin its hopes solely on grantmaking and other means of providing direct service or support to those in need.
Don’t misunderstand; it’s not that charity doesn’t matter. Quite the contrary: The charitable impulse — that mysterious, marvelous urge to give, to help, to meet the needs of others — that feeling is foundational to our humanity. Without it, true opportunity is unattainable. Charity has always mattered, and it still matters a great deal.
But it’s not enough — and it’s not philanthropy.
At its core, charity is about help, about meeting urgent needs. Philanthropy, though, is about change. Philanthropy is focused not on symptoms, but on root causes. It is systemic, not episodic; proactive rather than reactive. In short, the goal of philanthropy is not so much to provide assistance or service; rather, it seeks to permanently alter the conditions that make assistance necessary.