A lot of people making a lot of money, billion, billions of dollars accumulating. Why are they coming for, finally, for philanthropy? Why the need for accumulating money, then doing philanthropy? What if one decided to start philanthropy from the day one?
As chief business affairs and legal officer, I am responsible for driving Airbnb’s engagement strategy and civic partnership efforts as well as overseeing the company’s global public policy, community mobilization, legal, communications, compliance, social initiatives, and philanthropy efforts.
Camfed graduates are active in their villages using their skills and resources to improve as many lives as possible. They are teaching financial literacy to marginalized women and bringing vital health care information to rural schoolchildren. Through example, they are demonstrating the power of philanthropy.
I am convinced that music, like philanthropy, bridges hope.
In business, the market gives you feedback in real time. Your sales figures tell you what’s working, what isn’t, and how you need to change. If you don’t listen to the feedback, you go belly up. In philanthropy, there is no market.
Philanthropy is involved with basic innovations that transform society, not simply maintaining the status quo or filling basic social needs that were formerly the province of the public sector.
Those of us who have yet to find philanthropy may find there is a far greater reward from it than from wealth creation.
Personal philanthropy must be separated from corporate philanthropy. Personal philanthropy is more about giving back to society, or giving forward, as it is now referred to.
India’s connection with philanthropy didn’t begin with western influences. The connection with philanthropy is age-old and ingrained in our value systems.
Our aim is to set some kind of benchmark and standards for transparency and governance in private philanthropy.
Britain, relative to the U.S., is a highly secular society. Philanthropy alone cannot fill the gap left by government cutbacks. And the sources of altruism go deep into our evolutionary past.
I think all philanthropy invests in product innovation, whether in a vaccine or a new kind of product of one sort or another, and I think we’ll all continue to do that.
I have a philanthropy advisor, Hari Menon, who was earlier at the Gates Foundation.
The responsibility of philanthropy rests with us. The wealthier we are, the more powerful we get. We cannot put the entire onus on the government.
Indian philanthropy doesn’t take enough risk.
Anybody doing philanthropy has to find something that appeals to them from their own personal background or from intellectual curiosity.
In my view, a philanthropist is anyone who gives anything – time, money, experience, skills or networks – in any amount, to create a better world. This is not how we once thought about philanthropy. The word used to conjure up something rather passive – sitting down and writing checks.
Supposing I write out a cheque for a billion dollars to the foundation, does it mean anything? There must be evidence of philanthropy. Otherwise, I’m sitting with that money, earning interest exactly the way in my holding company.
There’s a big difference between charity and between activism and philanthropy. They’re very different things and I think, you know, everybody should find a passion or a cause that they can really get behind, but it has to be organic.
I just think that philanthropy is a fancy way to say that you care about others and that you want to serve others. And that’s been a part of me for as long as I can remember.
My daughter is very happy doing philanthropy, especially in the schools.
Unfortunately, the mechanism for doing philanthropy in a structured way isn’t yet in place in India. I already do a fair bit and support various causes such as education, sanitation, health. But selling costly drugs at affordable prices is philanthropy in itself.
To us, the definition of philanthropy is what we spend. A P&L account means expenditure, lines of revenue. There is a surplus; it goes to the balance sheet. A transparent foundation should disclose this.
Acting and philanthropy are braided together. I’ve tried to seek out things that speak not just specifically to the community that created me, but that speak in a way that’s universal and all of humanity celebrates.
I have often spoken about the importance of intentionality in philanthropy: that it has to stir the soul. This is true whether you are feeding the homeless, mentoring a child or working on climate change.
The best rule for philanthropy is to give until it hurts, as much as you can, because none of us can get through life all by ourselves.
All the family money is for philanthropy, except for living expenses for my mother. She is 94 and isn’t a big spender.
Successful ventures in business or philanthropy are built around great teams who can help us overcome tremendous challenges – and have the right experiences and relationships to do so.
A world in which government is burdened by historic debt, philanthropy has limited resources, and the private sector is only interested in its own personal gain is simply unsustainable.
I am convinced that only by applying the values of an entrepreneur to philanthropy will you ever be able to meet the needs of the greatest number of people.
I truly believe that philanthropy and commerce can work together.
Life is fleeting, and permanence in this world is something we all strive for. The best way to achieve permanence is through philanthropy.
Philanthropy is no longer about writing a check for $10,000 to the opera.
Philanthropy is commendable, but it must not cause the philanthropist to overlook the circumstances of economic injustice which make philanthropy necessary.
When I was graduating from college, the things I valued most were family, faith, and philanthropy. I refer to them as the three f’s, phonetically speaking.
I never thought I would be in a position like this, where my words and experiences are now inspiring others to follow suit. It’s challenging at times, but I can only look forward to the future of business and philanthropy.
It’s important to think good, speak good, and do good. If we want to see positive change in the world, then we need to connect to goodness. I try in everything I do, both in business and philanthropy, to make a positive change and do that by doing good.
I can honestly say that TOMS is my future. I mean I have no desire to start any other company for as long as I live because this is the perfect blend of business and philanthropy to me.
There’s a dark underside to philanthropy. People who give a bunch of money are deferred to, even when they are wrong. The emperor cannot be shown to have no clothes.
The largest expense in our philanthropy is capital expenditure because we are building these institutions. This institution-building idea stems from my father because he has the experience of building a company from scratch.
With few exceptions, the leading women in philanthropy, notably Melinda Gates, are the wives or daughters of rich and powerful men.
A press statement may be given with a very good intention, but it says nothing beyond it. If it comes from corporations they run, then it is corporate social responsibility (CSR). That’s different from philanthropy. CSR is a lot of shareholders, including me.
Billions are wasted on ineffective philanthropy. Philanthropy is decades behind business in applying rigorous thinking to the use of money.
I think people align themselves with my way of thinking when they’re talking to me. They try to create new avenues for me to pursue, so if you want to be a doctor and you have interest in human rights and philanthropy and social equality of medicine and disease, why don’t you think about being surgeon general?
I think philanthropy is so much more in keeping with spirit of shouting someone out than a material reward.
It’s important to do see the results of your philanthropy while you are alive.
Government, in its ultimate form, is the biggest philanthropher based in the world. And Bill Gates also said that he could do a small part of what the government can do, which is business philanthropy, equalling people and making sure there is inclusiveness.
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