1. Is Philanthropy synonymous with Charity? While charity is a form of philanthropy, they are not synonyms. Too many think they are, that working in the nonprofit world is a kind of vow of poverty, and it leads to real dilemmas.
  2. How can we improve, enhance, and dignify the funder-grantee balance? Implicit in this trend is that funders recognize that we cannot do our job unless we have real, honest, and contemporaneous information. Because of the power imbalance, only we can make that happen and to do so, we have to make those interdependent relationships truly viable.
  3. What is the proper Role of Philanthropy?As the safe space for philanthropy closes or is under attack elsewhere in the world, funders are asking if our proper role is to restrict ourselves to safe spaces or align with the change agents.
  4. Must Philanthropy be Non-Profit? The “doing well by doing good mantra” has infused business school students for the last 2 decades. For some, it reflects genuine altruism and belief that the ability to raise capital for scaling of good problem-solving issues is greatly enhanced by the profit motive.
  5. Is “intersectionality” the Solution?: There are two meanings to “intersectionality.” One is a political imperative: if one doesn’t honor the full range of issues, one is in effect denying them all. However, there is a less loaded definition of the term. It acknowledges the interconnectedness mentioned above, recognizing that no systemic issue can be owned by, or solved by, any single sector.
  6. Can Systemic Solutions solve what Compassion hasn’t?: In the end, we need interventions everywhere along the spectrum, regardless of where one starts, or why one starts there. And different funders may, legitimately, choose to intervene at any of the stages.

Read the full article about important questions about emerging trends in philanthropy by Richard Maker at eJewish Philanthropy.