# The Philanthropy Reader

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/books/the-philanthropy-reader/
- Published: 2016-02-17T22:06:11+00:00
- Author: Howard Lake

**With an international and interdisciplinary focus, _The Philanthropy Reader_ serves
as a one-stop resource that brings together essential and engaging extracts from
key texts and major thinkers, and frames these in a way that captures the historical
development, core concepts, perennial debates, global reach, and recent trends of
this field. **

Philanthropy is both timeless and timely. Ancient Romans, Medieval aristocrats, 
and Victorian industrialists engaged in philanthropy, as do modern-day Chinese billionaires,
South African activists, and Brazilian nuns.

Today, philanthropic practice is evolving faster than ever before, with donors giving
their time, talents, and social capital in creative new ways and in combination 
with their financial resources. These developments are generating complex new debates
and adding new twists to enduring questions, from “why be philanthropic?” to “what
does it mean to do philanthropy ‘better’?” Addressing such questions requires greater
understanding of the contested purpose and diverse practice of philanthropy.

The book includes almost 100 seminal and illuminating writings about philanthropy,
equipping readers with the guiding material they need to better grasp such a crucial
yet complex and evolving topic. A companion website offers resources such as additional
readings and discussion questions.

**Michael Moody** is Frey Foundation Chair for Family Philanthropy at the Johnson
Center for Philanthropy at Grand Valley State University. He is co-author of _Understanding
Philanthropy: Its Meaning and Mission_ and writes and speaks about philanthropy,
donors, and giving to both scholarly and practitioner audiences.

**Beth Breeze** worked as a fundraiser and charity manager before founding the Centre
for Philanthropy at the University of Kent, where she now conducts research and 
teaching on philanthropy and fundraising. She produces the annual _[Million Pound Donor Report](https://fundraising.co.uk/2013/01/29/million-pound-donors-report/)_
and co-authored _[Richer Lives: why rich people give](https://fundraising.co.uk/2013/10/04/why-do-wealthy-donors-give-charity-new-book-039richer-lives039-explains/)_.

## Reviews

‘This reader is the number one address for anyone who wants to get familiar with
the study of philanthropy. The editors have compiled the most comprehensive and 
systematic collection of major contributions to date – highly recommended to practitioners,
students and scholars.’
_**Professor Helmut Anheier**, Dean, Hertie School of Governance,
Germany_

‘As an accessible and concise collection of key texts on “elite philanthropy” offering
global insights into monetary giving by donors and institutions, this reader is 
an invaluable and timely reference point for scholars on the African continent as“
African philanthropy” and “philanthropy in Africa” is on the horizon as a multidisciplinary
field of study at the university level.’
– _**Susan Wilkinson-Maposa**, University
of Cape Town, South Africa and author of_ The Poor philanthropist: how and why the
poor help each other