Today, we don't blink an eye when the world's wealthiest individuals donate enormous sums of money to charitable causes. In fact, we expect them to do so.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
Much corporate giving is charitable in nature rather than philanthropic.
Strangely, charity sometimes gets dismissed, as if it is ineffective, inappropriate or even somehow demeaning to the recipient. 'This isn't charity,' some donors take pains to claim, 'This is an investment.' Let us recognize charity for what it is at heart: a noble enterprise aimed at bettering the human condition.
We often have an exaggerated sense of what nonprofits and governments are doing to help the poor, but the really inspiring thing is how much the poor are doing to help themselves.
Most philanthropists would still rather donate to elite schools, concert halls or religious groups than help the poor or sick.
As I see it, most major philanthropists have been bullied into giving. They feel social pressure to give. It has become a cost of doing business.
In philanthropy, many of us give a little bit and each year we give more and more to see what actually works and not just throw money out there and see if it's going to work. If the government did the same thing, fabulous.
There is a place and a time for philanthropy, and there is only so much money you can give away.
Shouldn't you put the same amount of effort into your giving as you might for your for-profit investments? After all, philanthropy is an investment, and one in which lives - not profits - are at stake.
Those of us who have yet to find philanthropy may find there is a far greater reward from it than from wealth creation.
In the charitable world as in the business world, opportunities should drive budgets, not the other way around.
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