June 23, 2005 | Read Time: 1 minute
Looking Out for the Future: An Orientation for Twenty-First Century Philanthropists, by Katherine Fulton and Andrew Blau, examines trends in the world at large, as well as changes within nonprofit organizations and foundations, that are transforming how American philanthropy operates. Based on a four-year study supported by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, the report says that the increased shift of power from governments to businesses and nonprofit groups, the greater ease of communication, the growing diversity of people involved in philanthropic endeavors, and the closer scrutiny of the nonprofit world offer new opportunities and challenges for nonprofit officials. Amid those changes, the report says, philanthropic organizations are experimenting with new ways to do their jobs. For instance, philanthropists no longer simply provide direct support for domestic social needs; instead, they are getting more involved in advocacy work, taking bolder steps to engage private companies, and focusing more on international grant making. The report provides people in the philanthropic world with ways to consider how current trends will affect their work.
Publisher: Global Business Network, 5900-X Hollis Street, Emeryville, Calif. 94608; (510) 547-6822; fax (510) 547-8510; info@gbn.com; http://www.gbn.com; 83 pages; available free for download on the organization’s Web site.
