Philanthropy is so well established it has spawned its own academic discipline.
New York University has a department of philanthropy. There is also the Chronicle of Philanthropy.
I have even attended a philanthropy workshop in the bowels of Congress, where rich Americans learned how to give their money away and how to make sure it was spent on the right causes.
Whether it is the quest for a legacy, the desire to change the world, the determination not to spoil one’s children or simply the tax code, Americans - wealthy and not so wealthy - are giving their dollars away by the lorry load.
And the rest of the world has a long way to catch up.
The author takes a shot at the United States government by suggesting that private Americans gave more for tsunami relief than our government did. He’s “Yeah, but…” correct. No other government could send a carrier battle group and a whole bunch of Marines to do what they did in those first days. I suggest that the costs of being ready to be able to do that count in part if you do the sums.
He mentions James Smithson, who gave the world the Smithsonian Instutution, Andrew Carnegie who could be aptly called the father of the modern free public library, and modern givers like Bill Gates and Ted Turner. He correctly points out that Americans, private citizens, businesses and groups, give more than anyone else in the world.
People will quibble with the per capita numbers. Those always leave out giving to churches and church related issues. Americans are among the few left in the world who even attend churches much less give to them. And church giving, Samaritan’s Purse, World Vision, Catholic Charities, counts for more than just dollars. Those groups put people on the ground where they are needed, not just holding press conferences in London or Bern. That’s the other hand of American giving, the time we give. The Scouts, any sort of organized sports, community theater, firefighting and EMS, all could not exist without volunteers and Americans do just that.
Here’s a bloke who sees a part of America many don’t.
