Giving Compass' Take:

• New types of philanthropists are emerging in the sector, which will give way to new participants in charitable giving and potentially the opportunity to enhance the practice as a whole. 

• How will this expansion help elevate philanthropy across public and private sectors? 

• Read about the benefits of collaborative philanthropy.


When we use the word “philanthropist,” many of us envision a wealthy man or woman, likely over the age of 60 who made his or her millions in corporate America. Perhaps we think of Bill Gates or Warren Buffet.

What if we instead pictured a 40-year-old woman of Hispanic descent who works at the florist shop or a black male in his 30’s who is an aspiring dancer? Even within the United States, we are beginning to recognize that we have excluded people from philanthropy due to their cultural heritage, age, or socioeconomic background.

Through this lens, philanthropy is about empowerment for social change that fills lives with purpose and dignity. No one ought to be excluded from that joy due to their economic or cultural background.

New images of philanthropy are emerging around the world and represent an important shift toward broader participation in charitable giving. New, promising efforts underway by and for people in economically disadvantaged and middle-income countries show clearly there is a desire to advance and expand altruistic and philanthropic ideas into the mainstream.

For those involved in the field of philanthropy, an opportunity is at hand to elevate and infuse philanthropic values across public and private sectors worldwide and unleash a powerful force for social change. The question before us is how to go about creating this expansion.

Read the full article about re-imagining philanthropists by L Michelle at Medium