Remember Who We Are: Philanthropy Facilitators
Philanthropy comes from the Greek and means love (philos) of humankind (anthropos).
*This article written 18 months ago seems equally, and particularly, apropos this week. So I’m sharing it again.
- Nonprofits are here to be kind.
- To repair the world.
- To make our communities better, more just, more beautiful and more caring places.
This is not easy work.
- Love is not always readily accepted or given.
- Inspiring generosity takes time, talent and patience.
- You will sometimes try and fail.
- You will sometimes get beaten down
But you know you must keep trying. Because that’s the job of philanthropy facilitators.
Let me add to the definition of “philanthropy.” Robert Payton (the nation’s first full-time Professor of Philanthropic Studies and one of the founders of the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University) defined it as: “Voluntary action for the public good.” I’ve always loved this definition, because every word is impactful. It’s voluntary (no one is being coerced). It’s action (something is actually being done, whether it’s service or an investment of money) and it’s all directed “for the public good.”
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