Charity and Philanthropy

One short section of WISEgenerosity comes up in conversation more than I expected. Readers often make some version of the same comment: “I had never thought to distinguish them.”

The passage in chapter 4 describes two ways of expressing generosity: charity and philanthropy. Most of us use the words interchangeably, but I suggest that they are separate. Each is a distinct way of giving, each draws a different kind of giver, and each does something the other cannot.

Charity works to relieve pain, suffering, and disadvantage. It is focused on a particular person or need, and it usually reaches people we do not know. Food for a hungry family, shelter for someone in crisis, support for a stranger after a disaster: this is charity. Ideally, charity is not a fleeting act. At its best it is a determined, ongoing process that changes lives.

Philanthropy literally means “love of humanity.” It is generosity aimed at causes and systems rather than at one person at a time. Philanthropy is not reserved for the rich, the powerful, or the professional. It belongs to anyone willing to take a thoughtful approach to aligning themselves with forces that produce positive change in society.

Each expression attracts a certain kind of giver. Charity is more likely to draw People Helpers who are attentive to others and who want to be connected directly to their giving. Philanthropy tends to appeal to Problem Solvers who focus on big picture challenges and on strategy. Most of us lean toward one or the other. Recognizing which is a step towards giving with more purpose.

Each expression also has a natural strength. Charity meets a real need today, with the satisfaction of direct engagement. Philanthropy coordinates effort at scale and can prevent future problems rather than just dealing with the problems at hand. A wise giver values both because the hungry neighbor needs dinner tonight and the community needs a solution to hunger. While those are different types of needs, they both are important in their own way.

In conversations with individuals and families about their giving, this framework does something useful. It replaces a single vague question, How should we give?, with two clearer ones: Are we charitable toward those in need? Are we thoughtfully invested in causes that matter to us? People often discover they are strong in one and have room to grow in the other. That discovery can be where a more complete generosity begins.

The daily Think On This posts will spend the coming week on these two expressions. If you would like to go further, the patent-pending Personal Giving Identity™ from WISEgenerosity can help you to see which of the two draws you and why. Reply to this message, and I’ll be glad to share more. (Think On This is delivered through my WISEgenerosity LinkedIn page, and on our WISEgenerosity Instagram account. If you’re not connected already, I’d welcome you doing so.)

For now, one question to carry into the week: are you more charitable or philanthropic?

All the best,

Chris Gabriel,
Founder, WISEgenerosity

Read more from Chris

The Future of American Giving

We close this series the way a birthday ought to end, by looking forward. Over these past weeks, we have traced where American generosity began, how it became woven into our national life, and how it can be produced in a single moment of kindness between two strangers. If generosity helped to build the first 250 years of this country, what might it build in the next?
Read More The Future of American Giving

The Generosity Paradox

One short section of WISEgenerosity comes up in conversation more than I expected. Readers often make some version of the same comment: “I had never thought to distinguish them.” The passage in chapter 4 describes two ways of expressing generosity: charity and philanthropy. Most of us use the words interchangeably, but I suggest that they are separate. Each is a distinct way of giving, each draws a different kind of giver, and each does something the other cannot.
Read More The Generosity Paradox

The Power of Kindness

Recently, I shared the story of a woman on a train who gathered her belongings to make room for a stranger. She had every reason that morning to think only of herself. Instead, she made a small space for someone else – me – and that one gesture opened a door neither of us expected.
Read More The Power of Kindness