Philanthropy With a Twist (of Term Paper

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Clearly, in Gaudiani's own dollar sign-admiring view, the Paris Hiltons; Donald Trumps, and (even in death) the resort-hopping; trust fund baby-popping Anna Nicole Smiths of the world, along with other wealthy if more low-key types, are the real coveted readers. One easily senses this author's embedded, perhaps even automatic and instinctive, implicit buttering-up of the rich within her litany of praise, to the rest of us, of all their many past philanthropic good deeds.

A better article; however, and one more objective and that contains (albeit not entirely) various opposing viewpoints to Gaudiani's on philanthropy and the real motivations of the rich for practicing it yesterday and today, is written by an also more credible author with no past professional baggage, Susan Berresford of the Ford Foundation. Berresford's article "Philanthropy of the 21st Century" is both more realistic about how and why, and in what kinds of circumstances and situations philanthropy works and does not work. This article is also far more balanced, positively and negatively, on the subject of past and present philanthropists and the (as Berresford states, frankly) almost always ego-driven motivations behind their apparently altruistic efforts on behalf of society and those less fortunate than themselves.

Unlike Gaudiani's article, also, Berresford's article by comparison straightforwardly mentions typical philanthropists' dominant (and in most cases non-altruistic) reasons for giving their riches, or at least some of their riches, away to strangers.

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These include, for example, personally beneficial but entirely banal practicalities like the receiving of needed tax write-offs. Loftier motivations than this (when these are occasionally but definitely not typically admitted) include desires to "experience" immortality and/or control beyond the grave. Other less-than-sublime motivations include personal monument-building and (more abstractly) chances to build tangible, lasting legacies while also exercising freedom, based on wealth.

Today potential dishonesty on the part of foundations and/or their employees has led, as Berresford further points out, to raised public and donor expectations alike, of accountability on the part of public and private philanthropic entities. As Berresford further explains:

Accountability concerns are being voiced just when foundations have become more and more open to the public. Foundations are now routinely expected to publish annual reports, and their operations and grant processes are more and more transparent. Many, like Ford, work with grantees and others continually to evaluate and improve their operations.

The former article, then, contains potentially useful information, but also in my view contains an unappealing and selfish personal agenda of the author's: to praise and idealize the rich in an effort to curry favor with them. The latter article is more straightforwardly informative, and de-romanticizes philanthropy and the rich while exploring some of their true motivations for their giving wealth to strangers for the betterment of American society and life.

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