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Donor

Contemplate what motivates giving and the tensions inherent to donating money. Explore ideas like altruism, legacy, control, power, and expertise.

In this section you will find blog posts that help you...

Identify values & logics

Cree author Harold R. Johnson notes that, “We are the stories we are told and we are the stories we tell ourselves.” Explore the stories you’ve been told about philanthropy, and the stories you tell yourself about doing good. Identify the values & logics behind these stories.

Visualize the flow of resources

Look at the relationship between donors, foundations, government, the stock market, charities, individuals and families. Track the flow of resources, power, and control. Think about alternative flows.

Examine time horizons

Building a legacy is one reason among many that donors give. How do we weigh future needs against present day needs, or past injustices that have led to present day needs and future uncertainties? Engage with different perspectives on the time horizons of giving.

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Girl smiling in black headscarf and green top with mountains in the background.

Theme: Money Type: Core concepts

Philanthropy's Structures & Relationships

Using systems thinking, identify connections between philanthropy and other systems. Resources flows offer a starting point to understand the structure of philanthropy.

Theme: Intergenerational Type: Introductory

Introduction to Intergenerational Stories

Grapple with the idea of relationships across time. How much should foundations focus on the urgencies of the present, right wrongs of the past, or lay the groundwork for future generations?

A photo of the Chinese Mutual Aid storefront, taken from across the street. Above the sign is a mural and a truck is parked in

Theme: Origin Type: Core concepts

Map of Giving Practices

Find new perspective on what modern, Western philanthropy is and isn't by surveying other practices of giving and the philosophies that underlie them.

Three people connected through holding each other's back

Theme: Intergenerational Type: Core concepts Type: Case study

Present Focus

Encounter three foundations who focus on strategies to address urgencies in the here and now. Read about their experiences with spending down, philanthropic reform, and mission-aligned investment.

Large white roll paper is taped up on floor to ceiling windows, covered in colourful post-its, with three empty chairs in the foreground.

Theme: Origin Type: Generative

Reflecting on How the Past Shapes the Present

Trace the narratives and beliefs from the past that have influenced your experience and perspective of philanthropy today.

A shirtless man holding a large club in an old factory setting

Theme: Intergenerational Type: Core concepts Type: Case study

Past Focus

What are the moral obligations foundations have towards righting wrongs of the past? Learn about two foundations who have gone down the road of reparations.

Theme: Money Type: Generative

Mapping Relationships for Yourself

How do you conceptualize the structures that bring philanthropy into relationship with other sets of actors?

a child and two elderly people inside a house

Theme: Intergenerational Type: Core concepts

What is Intergenerational Justice?

Tackle the questions around the ethical responsibilities of present generations to their own, past, and future generations. What is our role in repairing injustices of the past vs shaping the future?

I am..

Donor

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