When I was invited some weeks ago to weigh in on an aspect of philanthropy that might interest Vivanista members I found myself thinking about a question ricocheting around the philanthropy world:  what is philanthropy and who should practice it? Normally this question would fall into the “too philosophical” bin and be forgotten, but this summer it was a hot topic.  Why?  The new NBC show, The Philanthropist.

One evening this summer I kicked back with some popcorn to check out the first few episodes, which were, predictably, full of fast cars, explosions, and gravity-defying stunts. Hey, just your average day in the life of a philanthropist. Sort of like Bill Gates; sort of not.  Sensational as it was, key elements of the show rang true—Teddy Rist, the philanthropist of the show’s title, may be absurdly wealthy and handsome, but he is moved by a devastating personal loss to want to help others. He undergoes an epiphany when he saves one small, terrified boy in danger of drowning in a Nigerian hurricane.

A few days later I was surprised to learn that the professional philanthropy community was up in arms.  A debate had been scheduled at the Hudson Institute in DC where a panel of experts from various philanthropic institutions around the country would address the misconceptions the show was inflicting on a gullible public who might get the impression that philanthropy is all about private jets and gorgeously-cut suits with pockets full of cash.  Worse, the public might think that philanthropy is all about wealthy individuals healing personal wounds and finding fulfillment by leaping to the aid of the poor, the sick, and the marginalized.  Good philanthropy, the professionals argued, is strategic and must be practiced by professionals.

So let’s go back to the big question.  Last week when I was reading Jacqueline Novogratz’s wonderful memoir, The Blue Sweater I found as good an explanation of the guiding principals of philanthropy as any.   In the prologue Novogratz talks about her own evolution from naïve college girl to international banker to founder of Acumen Fund, a non-profit supporting great projects to address poverty around the world.  At one point she says, “Rather than seeing the world as divided among different civilizations or classes, our collective future rests upon our embracing a vision of a single world in which we are all connected.  Indeed, maybe this notion of human connection is the most important—and complex—challenge of our time…We all play a role in the change we need to create.”

If the word “philanthropy” means, literally, love of man, a deep sense that, as Novogratz says, “we are all connected,” then there is a place at the philanthropy table for all of us. We ALL yearn for connection–in our community and, for many, in the larger world as well.  The woman who invests her time and talent creating a benefit to raise money for a hospital, the foundation officer analyzing metrics and crafting a strategy to address malaria, and Teddy Rist, racing through the jungle on a motorcycle to get medical supplies to a village in time. All three care about the lives of people they may never actually meet. All three use the resources available to them. All three are moved by a desire to make a difference.

So maybe the question is not: what is philanthropy and who is qualified to “do” it?
Maybe the challenge for each of us is, “How do I want to connect?  What difference do I want to make?”

[photo from samj via Flickr]