When African philanthropy is stripped down to its bare minimum, there are fundamental aspects worth exploring here. Everything from individuals to informal and formal groups play a unique role in it. Also, the mediums used to give donations play an important role too. This will be a surface level look at philanthropy as it relates to more African prosperity. More

A major fire has engulfed the medieval cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris, one of France’s most famous landmarks. The French President Emmanuel Macron called for donations for reconstruction and a number of French billionaires and big companies have very quickly responded. More

Around the world, people are calling for the redistribution of wealth. This rise in economic populism seeks to strip the corrupt powers that be of their riches and instead empower ‘the people,’ whether they be disenfranchised individuals or small businesses. Big business has, unfortunately, been a driver of these sentiments, having earned itself a bad reputation for reasons ranging from income inequality to the inappropriate use of corporate power. This has placed large multinational corporations on the defensive, struggling to protect their brands and win back popular support. More

The Asian Venture Philanthropy Network (AVPN), with support from The Rockefeller Foundation, has launched the Philanthropy in China report which highlights key trends, opportunities and challenges that philanthropists – both Chinese and international – can leverage to maximise their impact. More

This April, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) hosted the Greater Giving Summit in Seattle. Bringing together over 170 participants from all over the world, the goals of the Summit were to facilitate new insights; engage with bold ideas and opportunities; and to connect people, projects and concepts, all revolving around promoting greater charitable giving around the world. More

The current report is an effort to put diversity back at the heart of philanthropy by drawing a comprehensive and provocative picture of current trends and challenges the world over – from individual forms of giving to community philanthropy and structured, institutional giving. More

According to the 2018 Global Giving Trends, the top 5 donated to causes were Children and youth (15%), Health and wellness (10.8%), Animals and wildlife (10.5%), Human and social services (8.1%) and Hunger and homelessness (7.6%).

54% of donors worldwide preferred to give Online with a credit or debit card while only 10% used the traditional bank/wire transfer system. In Africa, however, the trend is slightly different with 32% preferring to give cash, 25% online, 15% through a mobile app/wallet and 14% by bank/wire transfer.

Each of these, however, have played or continue to play fundamental roles in mass -based action demanding political, civic and socio-economic rights. Each of these is based on the African continent. Yet not a single one, or any of the other multitudes of African-based movements, is referenced in any of the literature on philanthropy and social movements to the best of my knowledge. More

Darren Walker, the President of Ford Foundation says there should be loud “shouts” of ‘glorious tongues at the coming of hope’ for philanthropy in 2019.

In the era of great challenges that this crucial sector faces, such as the “undemocratic nature of wealth and philanthropy”, structural racism in many parts of the world and a “rigged economic system” that strengthen the economic and social structures that separate the haves from the have-nots..More

In the March 2017 issue, Alliance magazine associate editor Andrew Milner’s article “Shading in the blanks on the philanthropy advice map” explored the how the US and Europe might be exercising a distorting influence in the field of philanthropic advisory services. He also looked at those locations around the globe in which the sector has yet to develop. However, I would respectfully add to that analysis a failure to intentionally engage donors of colour of wealth, particularly those from the African Diaspora.