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Giving Thought

Charities Aid Foundation’s Giving Thought podcast explored the big issues, themes and news stories relating to philanthropy and the work of civil society.

This podcast is no longer produced.

Latest Episodes:

Philanthropy at the Movies (Oscars Special!) Feb 12, 2019

Show notes

Episode 43 is an Oscars special! We explore philanthropy at the movies: what films there are about philanthropy (if any), what insight they can offer, and some ideas for future films that could be made. Topics covered include:

Why aren't there any genuinely great portrayals of philanthropy or the big questions it raises on film?
Fictional philanthropists in movies
The philanthropist as plot device or cinematic shorthand
Do comic book adaptations offer the most insightful portrayal of philanthropy issues in the movies?
- Is Tony Stark (Iron Man) an example of the challenge of doing good with tainted money?
- What does X Men's Charles Xavier tell us about enlightened self-interest?
- Is The Marvel Avengers: Civil War storyline really about the tension between philanthropic liberty and democratic accountability?
- Does Black Panther highlight the challenges of issue-based vs place-based identity in philanthropy?
- Is Thanos an effective altruist?
Pitching some of the great philanthropic stories we could tell on film:
- Carnegie, Rockefeller and the Walsh Commission
- Julius Rosenwald and the Civil Rights Movement
- Angela Burdett-Coutts and Charles Dickens: the philanthropic odd couple
- William Rathbone: head vs heart
- James Oglethorpe and the founding of the State of Georgia
- John Howard: the grumpy Indiana Jones of philanthropy

Related content:

Krystian Seibert - Criticism of philanthropy: why, how & where next? Jan 29, 2019

Show notes

In episode 42 we chat to Krystian Seibert, an Industry Fellow at Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, Australia. We discuss the current wave of critiques of philanthropy, why criticism is important, how to make that criticism constructive and what the response from policy and lawmakers should be. Including:

How do we criticise 'well'?
Is some criticism in danger of 'preaching to the converted'?
To what extent does personal philosophy or ideology dictate how receptive you are to certain criticisms?
Which criticism of philanthropy is hardest to answer?
How much do the current US-focussed critiques resonate elsewhere (e.g. the UK or Australia)?
Is there an argument to change how philanthropy is regulated by the state?
How do we balance the freedom to make individual philanthropic choices with the responsibility to ensure philanthropy doesn't create greater inequality?
In the US the focus has been on the potential for philanthropy to subvert democracy by offering a means of influence outside the electoral system. Yet in many other places, the concern is the opposite: that the ability of civil society (funded by philanthropy) to campaign is being stifled. How do we square these two concerns?
Should more philanthropic funders support journalism or other mechanisms that can hold philanthropy itself to account?
Is there an inherent power imbalance in philanthropy, between those who have the assets and those that require them? Can we address this balance, and if so how?
Do we need to make philanthropic decisions more democratic? If so, how?
Do we need to make philanthropy more accountable to the people and communities it is supposed to serve? If so, how?

Related Links

Winners Take All: The Elite Charade of Changing the World by Anand Giridharadas
Just Giving: Why Philanthropy is Failing Democracy and How it Can Do Better by Rob Reich
The Givers by David Callahan
Decolonizing Wealth by Edgar Villanueva
Dark Money by Jane Mayer
The Prize by Dale Rusakoff
Rob Reich on the Giving Thought podcast
Krystian's article in Stanford Social Innovation Review on "Cultivating Legitimacy in Philanthropy"
My Giving Thought blog on "Winners Take All"

Vinay Nair - Charities, Technology & Storytelling Jan 15, 2019

Show notes

In episode 41 we chat to Vinay Nair, co-founder and CEO of social good tech startup Lightful about how charities can use technology to tell their stories more effectively, and some of the key opportunities and challenges. Topics covere:

Why is storytelling important for charities?
Has social media changed the game for charities in terms of how they communicate?
Have some of these tools levelled the playing field between big and small (or well-known and obscure) organisations?
Is there sometimes a tension between focusing on individual stories/emotions and focusing on objective metrics/measures of success? Or can the two be successfully combined?
How well-equipped are charities to take advantage of the potential of digital? If some organisations are struggling, what are the key barriers?
Is there a danger that social media and online discourse create perverse incentives to sensationalise or simplify issues, because everyone is competing for scarce attention? Does this present a particular challenge for charities?
Social media and other new communications technology is enabling people to form communities of interest/purpose much more easily than before. Can charities harness this potential, or is there a threat that it will make them less relevant as people look to networked models of social change?
Giving Tuesday
Harnessing data and machine learning

2018 End of Year Special (Part 2): Predictions for 2019 Dec 20, 2018

Show notes

In part 2 of our bumper end of year special (episode 40), we make some predictions for what 2019 might hold...

2019 Predictions:

Politics & Economics

BREXIT (or not…?)
General Election?
UK voluntary reporting on SDGs
Ongoing impact of austerity
Local government funding and Local Authorities running out of money
Populism & ongoing challenges for democracy
Another global financial crash?

Philanthropy & Civil Society

More critiques of big philanthropy; general default more critical (also in UK?)
Focus on think tanks, dark money etc
Austerity: debating role of charity vs state
Further closing space issues, including digital angles (misinformation, astroturfing etc)
Networked models for social change
Line between civil society and politics will come under increasing strain
Shifting power; democratising philanthropy
Next big fundraising/charity scandal?

Technology

Continuing tech backlash?
More funders focussing on algorithmic bias
Pushback on AI ethics- criticism that it frames the debate in the tech industry's terms and allows them to avoid discussion of regulation etc.
Divergence of cryptophilanthropy and blockchain efforts
Blockchain will continue to bubble under surface and back office blockchain use case will be demonstrated
Self Sovereign Digital Identity will come to the fore
Charity RegTech applications will emerge
Machine Learning and Natural Language Processing for data collection and analysis on charity finances, philanthropy data
More giving by conversational AI
More commercial platforms adding giving functionality
eSports growth, digital "skins" and giving via gaming platforms (e.g. Twitch)
Deepfakes and challenges to online authenticity
More awareness of personal data bargain
Charity Data fines

2018 End of Year Special (Part 1): 2018 in review Dec 20, 2018

Show notes

In an end of year special, bumper 2-part episode 40, we look back over 2018 and ahead to 2019.

In part 1, we review some of the biggest stories and themes affecting philanthropy and civil society over the year and look at how we got on with our predictions from the start of the year.

Topics covered include:

Stories and themes:

Trust, power & accountability
The Presidents Club Dinner scandal
Safeguarding and international development
The rise of networked social movements, New Power etc.
All change at the Charity Commission
The Civil Society Futures Inquiry
A big year for books critiquing philanthropy:
- Winners Take All: The elite charade of changing the world by Anand Giridharadas
- Just Giving: How philanthropy is failing democracy and how it can do better by Rob Reich
- Decolonizing Wealth by Edgar Villanueva

Reviewing 2018 predictions

US tax bill controversy re deduction & Focus on theoretical justification for tax breaks (linked to devolved Scottish powers)
More focus on advocacy and campaigning (Johnson Amendment)
More controversy re UK situation re advocacy & campaigning
More closing space for CS
Rebalance from service delivery to campaigning
Non-standard structures for philanthropy
Move away from impact
More focus on SDGs
More awareness of personal data bargain
GDPR and big fines?
Open Data and charities
AI- more ML for social good?
More bots for advice/customer services
Conversational AI
More focus on AI ethics, machine bias etc
VAR resurgence
Impact of virtual environments on behaviour
More crypto-philanthropy
More blockchain-based giving platforms and tokens
New digital assets, cryptokitties

Philanthropy & Empathy Dec 11, 2018

Show notes

In episode 39 we look at the relationship between philanthropy and empathy. Including:

-What does neuroscience tell us about the link between empathy and altruism?

-The importance of physical proximity

-Does empathy lead us to prioritise giving to those who are sufficiently "like us", at the expense of others?

-How do our unconscious biases affect our empathy? The identifiable victim bias and victim blaming.

-Is empathy in tension with rationality when it comes to philanthropy?

-Historical examples of approaches to philanthropy that lacked empathy: home visitations, voting charities and "telescopic philanthropy"

-Rationality vs empathy throughout history: from the Charity Organization Societies to Effective Altruism?

-What impact will technology have on our ability to be empathetic in future?

-How can Virtual Reality be used to drive empathetic responses from donors and supporters?

-Will tech-enabled 'filter bubbles' negatively affect our ability to empathise?

-Rationality vs Empathy 2.0? Will philanthropy in the future be shaped by VR and experiential technologies, or by AI and data-driven decision making?

Related Content

Zagefka et al (2010) "Donating to disaster victims: Responses to natural and humanly caused events", European Journal of Social Psychology, Volume41, Issue 3, April 2011, 353-363
Decety (2015) "The Neural Pathways, Development and Functions of Empathy", Science of Philanthropy Initiative
Kraus et al (2012) Social Class, Solipsism, and Contextualism: How the Rich Are Different From the Poor, Psychological Review, 119 (3) 546-572.
Gose & Gipple (2012) "Rich Enclaves Are Not as Generous as the Wealthy Living Elsewhere" Chronicle of Philanthropy
"Virtual reality can boost empathy", Psychology News, 17th October 2018
Giving Thought blog (2016) "3 ways augmented and virtual reality could change charity"
Giving Thought blog (2016) "Is technology making us care less about each other?"
Giving Thought blog (2017) "Future Imperfect: 10 new problems technology will create for charities"
Giving Thought blog (2017) "Automatic for the people: What might a philanthropy algorithm look like?"
Ken Liu, "Byzantine Empathy"- short story reproduced in Breaker Mag

Rob Reich - Philanthropy, Democracy & Inequality Nov 27, 2018

Show notes

In episode 38 we talk to Professor Rob Reich from Stanford University about his new book, Just Giving: Why Philanthropy is Failing Democracy and How it Can Do Better and about his wider work exploring the political philosophy of philanthropy.

In a wide-ranging conversation, we cover:

-What motivated him to write the book?

-Why has philanthropy been largely ignored as a subject of study by political philosophers and political theorists over the years?

-Does he see his book as part of a growing trend of criticism of elite philanthropy at the moment?

-Why does philanthropy potentially subvert democracy?

-Is elite philanthropy a plutocratic exercise of power? And can this ever be justified?

-Does mass market philanthropy represent a powerful means of decentralising power and choice about public goods? Or is this always undermined by the disproportionate influence of those with large amounts to give?

-Do tax breaks for philanthropy exacerbate inequality? How could we structure them differently?

-How should we understand the role of foundations?

-If one of the key benefits of foundation philanthropy is innovation and 'discovery', how do we ensure this is at the heart of what they do?

-Why are endowed structures that exist in perpetuity a particular problem?

-What has been the response from policymakers, philanthropists and foundation leaders to his arguments? And what would ideally like them to do?

Related content

Rob's new book Just Giving: Why Philanthropy is Failing Democracy and How it Can Do Better
Reich, Cordelli & Bernholz (2016) Philanthropy in Democratic Societies: History, Institutions, Values
Rob's profile page at Stanford
My book
My blog "Philanthropy: Anti-Democratic and Proud of it?"

Philanthropy & the Welfare State Nov 13, 2018

Show notes

In episode 37, we explore the relationship between philanthropy and the notion of a Welfare State. We look at the role philanthropy played in the origins of state welfare, what economics and other sciences can tell us about the relationship between the two, and how we should view the role of philanthropy in relation to the state today. Including:

-The history of the back-and-forth relationship between philanthropy and state in the UK

-Why did some think the birth of the Welfare State should have spelt the end for philanthropy?

-Is there a relationship between the size of the state and levels of giving?

-Does state welfare provision necessarily "crowd out" philanthropy? Or could it actually "crowd it in"?

-The importance of charitable campaigning within the welfare state

-The emergence of outsourcing and public service commissioning

-Are we now seeing a backlash against public service delivery by charities?

Links:

My piece on "The UK Civil Society Strategy and The History of State vs Philanthropic Welfare Provision" for HistPhil.org
Davies, R (2016) Public Good by Private Means: How philanthropy shapes Britain, Ch 2 "Philanthropy and Welfare"
CAF (2016), Gross Domestic Philanthropy: An international analysis of tax, GDP & giving
Andreoni & Payne, (2009) Is crowding out entirely due to fundraising?, Journal of Public Economics 95
Andreoni & Payne, (2003) Do Government Grants to Private Charities Crowd Out Giving or Fund-raising?, American Economic Review No 93 vol 3.
Andreoni (1993) An Experimental Test of the Crowding Out Hypothesis, The American Economic Review No 83 vol 5.
CAF Giving Thought blog (2018) 'Initial thoughts on the Civil Society Strategy"

Philanthropy, Risk & Innovation Oct 30, 2018

Show notes

In episode 36, we look at the relationship between risk, innovation and philanthropy. The ability to take risks and innovate is often claimed to be on of the key strengths of philanthropy, but is this really true? How does philanthropy innovate? Why can it take risks? And what makes it different to state or private sector approaches? Topics we cover include:

- What kinds of risk can philanthropy take?

-Why is it able to take these risks?

-Does philanthropy find innovative new ways of achieving social outcomes?

-What is the exit for philanthropic innovation once it has been proven to work?

-Is philanthropy losing its control of social innovation to the public and private sector?

-How has philanthropy itself innovated over time? From the rise of associational philanthropy in the 18th century to the development of mass-market giving in the 20th century.

-Social investment and blended approaches

-Micro donations and automated philanthropy

-Innovation in causes: philanthropic campaigning and public opinion

- When does innovation become self-indulgence? Silicon Valley philanthropy and private space travel.

Related content

Philanthropy & Religion Oct 16, 2018

Show notes

In episode 35, we look at the the relationship between religion, faith and philanthropy. Including:

1) Faith as a factor in individual giving

-Evidence from behavioural science

-The role of places of worship in bring diverse communities together and making people aware of issues

-Religious identity, communities of purpose and giving circles

-Religious obligations to give: tithing, Tzedakah and Zakat

2) Organised religion and the evolution of charity

-1601 Statute of Charitable Uses: why wasn't religion included?

-The 1891 Pemsel Case and the "four heads of charity"

-US religious causes and closed congregations

3) Religion, philanthropy and civil society today

-Is religion still the most popular cause?

-Obligations to fund the monastic life in Myanmar and Thailand

-The deep relationship between international aid and religion

-Places of worship as community focal points and welfare providers

-Is the world getting less religious or more?

-Religious persecution

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