December 2009 - Alliance magazine

Guest editor for this Alliance special feature is Olga Alexeeva of CAF Global Trustees. The centre of philanthropy is increasingly shifting from north and west to south and east, says Alexeeva, but what will this emerging philanthropy look like? What will be its objectives and values? Giving because it’s fashionable will not be good enough if you want to make real changes in the world, she says.

This special feature includes interviews with donors from all corners of the world: Chinese actor and martial arts expert Jet Li; Ukrainian actress Olga Kurylenko; Russian actress Chulpan Khamatova and foundation leader Irina Prokhorova; Rishi Khosla from India; Nabil Qaddumi from the Middle East; Regina Vidigal Guarita from Brazil; Sigrid Rausing and Jacqueline Delia-Brémond from Europe. Finally, Peter Karoff reflects on all the contributions to what he calls this ‘dangerous and radical’ issue of Alliance.

Also included in the December issue of Alliance: the Alliance essay prize winner, ‘The key is coal’ by Paul Growald, Eileen R Growald and Joanna Messing plus more articles, opinion, reviews, letters, and global updates.

BDL Supplement European foundations in time of crisis

Also published with the December issue of Alliance is a special supplement presenting highlights of the recent Symposium on ‘Responsible Leadership in Times of Change’ hosted by Banque de Luxembourg plus reflections on a set of case studies looking at European foundations’ responses to the economic crisis.

Click here to download the supplement.

Click here to read the case studies in full.

Special feature

The Gucci bag of new philanthropy

1 December 2009
Olga Alexeeva

I once attended an evening party organized by a wealthy family in a South American country, devoted to philanthropy. Guests, similarly ultra-wealthy families, gathered to talk about their giving, share experiences and possibly form alliances. I was invited as an outside expert with a knowledge of philanthropic trends in other places. As I listened to the other guests talking, I began to realize that if giving is seen as just an accessory to a wealthy …

Caroline Hartnell

Editorial

A mixed bag of motives

A recently published book, The Art of Giving: Where the soul meets a business plan, by Charles Bronfman and Jeffrey Solomon, has given rise to a good deal of discussion in the US blogosphere about why people give. The focus on the end user as the primary beneficiary in the ‘social benefit supply chain’ does not capture ‘the intrinsic return to the funders’, say the authors, who see understanding why you give as a step towards more committed and successful giving. The motives they suggest include increased self-worth, a boost in your social status, feeding your ego, a profound sense …