Yesterday, our Managing Director, Jo Shropshire, attended Onward Philanthropy’s thought-provoking “Giving Back Better” panel event.
Onward’s report raised important findings, identifying the major factors holding back philanthropy in the UK. Based on their findings, the pervasive questions remain:
* Why is it that the most affluent donate proportionally less of their income? And,
* Why do too few wealthy individuals participate in philanthropy?
Importantly, as impact and philanthropy advisors, how can we address these?
At Benesys we recognize that limited knowledge of where to give and a level of mistrust of charities can often be inhibitors to the more affluent in their giving—or in giving away more. But the panel touched on another point that is harder to fix: the acknowledgment of how very un-English and unsavoury it is to talk about our giving and how much we give - let alone celebrate it! Unlike our North American cousins, for us Brits, it is still difficult to indulge ourselves in self-gratification of our charitable activities.
Enter the so-called ‘PR problem of philanthropy,’ as aptly named by Spears500. A heartfelt thanks therefore go to Jason Stockwood, co-founder of the charity Our Future, for his honest, open, and level-headed account of his philanthropic work in his hometown, Grimsby.
He acknowledged the support and guidance he needed and highlighted the importance of building relationships to generate sustainable solutions to local community problems that will outlive him. Mostly, how it has been one of the hardest things he has done - yet one of the most rewarding.
Philanthropy is, quite simply, about people—it's about building and maintaining relationships. Why is it not easy to talk about ? When giving back is fostered in an environment where it can be observed positively, where experiences and solutions can be shared and replicated without judgement, where success can be heralded, we believe then it can ignite the giving potential in others.
Huge thanks to the team at Onward for hosting such an important event and for their insightful report!
Click on the link to read the full report: https://www.ukonward.com/reports/giving-back-better-unlocking-philanthropy/
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