Getting Entrepreneurs to Give: a Sampling of Resources

Following are four recently released resources

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about entrepreneurs and their participation in philanthropy:

* Entrepreneurs and Philanthropy: Giving Patterns and Trends at Michigan Technological University, a master’s thesis completed in July by Lisa Dietlin, argues that charities have ignored entrepreneurs as a class of potential donors. The author describes her review of research and statistics on entrepreneurs, her interviews with 10 entrepreneurs, and a survey she undertook to find out how many entrepreneurs were among more than 1,000 alumni at Michigan Technological University. Based on her findings, Ms. Dietlin argues that entrepreneurs are increasingly important to the economy at large and to non-profit organizations, but that they have little or no knowledge of organized philanthropy. After discussing how entrepreneurs differ from other donors, Ms. Dietlin concludes that new efforts to educate entrepreneurs about philanthropy, as well as new fund-raising methods tailored to their circumstances, are needed.

For a copy of the paper, send $25 for copying and mailing expenses to Lisa Dietlin, Assistant Dean for Development, University of Illinois, College of Business Administration, 601 South Morgan Street, Mail Code MC075, Chicago 60607; (312) 355-4217; e-mail: ldietlin@uic.edu.

* Exploring the Entrepreneur’s Perception of Foundation Creation and Management, by Nancy Upton, reports the findings of a three-part study conducted for the Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, in Kansas City, Mo. The first part provides an extensive list of resources — national and regional non-profit organizations, publications, and companies — that entrepreneurs can turn to for assistance in creating charitable foundations. The second part describes in-depth interviews with 19 entrepreneurs who had decided against setting up a private foundation, were in the process of creating a foundation, or had recently formed one. The final part of the study describes additional interviews with entrepreneurs to learn more about their reading habits, interest in philanthropy, and perceptions of private foundations. The author concludes with several recommendations on how to promote philanthropy and the creation of private foundations among entrepreneurs.

To obtain a copy of the study, contact Nancy Upton, Ben Williams Professor of Entrepreneurship, Baylor University, P.O. Box 98006, Waco, Tex. 76798; (254) 710-4155; e-mail: nancy_upton@baylor.edu. Copies sent by e-mail are free; for each paper copy, send $5 for postage and handling.

* Giving Back, a 45-minute videotape produced by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, is an effort by the fund’s leaders to tell entrepreneurs like themselves how to set up a private foundation. It features leaders of the foundation, including the founding donor and entrepreneur, Ewing Marion Kauffman, who was filmed before his death in 1993. Mr. Kauffman, who made a fortune by starting Marion Laboratories, a pharmaceutical manufacturing company, and other leaders of the fund provide advice about common concerns that wealthy entrepreneurs have when they decide to create a charitable fund, such as how and whether to involve family members in its management and operation, how to insure that the founder’s wishes for the fund’s operation are carried out after his or her death, and how to pick a good group of board members and outline their responsibilities.

To obtain a free copy, contact Pamela E. Kearney, Manager of Communications, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, 4801 Rockhill Road, Kansas City, Mo. 64110-2046; (816) 932-1046; e-mail: pkearney@emkf.org.

* Giving Back, the Silicon Valley Way: 1998 Report on Giving and Volunteerism in Silicon Valley, by the Community Foundation Silicon Valley, describes a five-part research project in the northern California region that has become home to many high-technology companies. The results are based on a survey of average and high-net-worth households, a survey of corporate giving among Silicon Valley companies, and interviews with 14 wealthy entrepreneurs and community leaders.

To obtain the 34-page report, contact the foundation at 111 West St. John Street, Suite 230, San Jose, Cal. 95113-1104; (408) 278-0270. The report is also available on the foundation’s Web site at http://www.cfsv.org.