The CEP Roundup - July 12, 2024
Center for Effective Philanthropy
Improving Philanthropic Performance through Data + Insight.
Welcome to The CEP Roundup, the Center for Effective Philanthropy's LinkedIn-exclusive newsletter. We hope this curated collection helps you discover resources, ideas, and peers in the philanthropic sector that can help you be more effective in your work.
Read Up
New Giving USA data reveals that charitable giving continued to drop in 2023, and that left some wondering, "Are we actually in the middle of a generosity crisis?" Vox fellow Celia Ford takes on the question, examining giving trends, the effects of inflation, and other forms of generosity.
For more on the effects of inflation in philanthropy, check out Kevin Bolduc's recent examination of CEP's Grantee Perception Report data, wherein he asks if inflation is silently reducing the value of grants.
Independent Sector released its annual report on trust in nonprofits and philanthropy in the U.S., revealing that trust in nonprofits rose slightly while trust in philanthropy remained steady (and lower than that of nonprofits).
Pride Month saw the release of Funders for LGBTQ Issues latest grantmaking report, which included details on the "Ground We're Afraid to Lose." Read coverage of the report from Inside Philanthropy's Dawn Wolfe or find the full report here. Also read an analysis from CEP on how LGBTQ+-identified grantees' experiences with funders differ from their peers.
Perspectives in (and on) Philanthropy
Once a darling in the charitable giving sector, effective altruism has been met with more criticism in recent years. The New York Times' Peter Coy reexamines the movement, holds it up against other major giving influencers (MacKenzie Scott and Melinda French Gates), and talks with CEP's Phil Buchanan about the nuance it may miss.
Responding to their recent article in Stanford Social Innovation Review, Phil Buchanan challenges Mark Kramer and co-author Steve Phillips, calling into question the idea that there is a single right approach to philanthropy and pointing to the dangerous lack of nuance in declaring one new model that works.
In response to the same above-mentioned SSIR piece, Jodi Nelson, Ph.D. and Fay Twersky come to the defense of strategic philanthropy as long-time practitioners, pointing to philanthropy's distinct role from government as well as to the ways in which philanthropists and practitioners have learned and improved over time.
In Case You Missed It
If you weren't able to join us for our recent webinar, "What Funders Need to Know: The State of Nonprofits and Grantee Well-Being," you can watch (or rewatch) the conversation on CEP's YouTube channel.
Spotlight on Resources
Philanthropy for Active Civic Engagement (PACE) just launched their Democracy Futures Project, inviting philanthropic institutions to participate in an 18-month long project to be more "future-ready." In addition to the project, PACE shared a number of resources on future design - and we look forward to their virtual sessions open to the public to share learnings.
A new Philanthropy x Wellbeing hub from The Wellbeing Project brings together resources from across the sector for both individual philanthropists and institutional funders, and offers tools, ideas, and practices for better well-being from a variety of lenses.
Stay Tuned For...
...season 4 of the Giving Done Right podcast, coming this fall! Until then, listen or re-listen to your favorite episodes wherever you get your podcasts, or at givingdoneright.org.