Philanthropisms

2023 Predictions for Philanthropy & Civil Society

Rhodri Davies Season 1 Episode 27

In our last episode of the year, we take a look at some of the key issues and trends affecting philanthropy and civil society right now and offer some thoughts on what to watch out for in 2023. Including:

  •  The impact of the ongoing cost-of-living crisis and possible recession on philanthropy, everyday giving and the work of charities.
  • Polarisation and political division making it harder for philanthropy to engage constructively with criticism and the need for change. 
  • More mainstream media focus on philanthropy. (And therefore more scepticism and critique?)
  • More big donors supporting efforts to develop everyday giving.
  • A new generation of celebrities (Youtubers, sports stars etc) reclaiming the word “philanthropy” for themselves? What impact might this have on wider perceptions of philanthropy?
  • More ultra-wealthy people make public pledges to give the majority of their wealth away.
  •  Blurring the lines between individual and corporate philanthropy more than ever
  • Ongoing tensions between “strategic” and “trust-based” philanthropy.
  • More donors and funders experimenting with models that enable them to shift power as well as money e.g. participatory methods, funding grassroots movements etc.
  • Debates about balancing urgency and patience in philanthropy.
  • Division in the Effective Altruism movement  in the wake of Sam Bankman-Fried’s downfall?
  • Tainted donations: will more organisations reject ‘bad money’, or will they try to find ways of justifying taking it in light of pressures on finances?
  • The balkanisation of social media in the wake of Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover.
  • Is cryptophilanthropy dead in the water?
  • Will nonprofits start to make use of new generative AI tools like Chat-GPT? What new possibilities and challenges will these bring?
  • Will layoffs and restructuring across many tech companies open up an opportunity for nonprofits to recruit new talent and skills?

 

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