Individualistic philanthropy: the paradox of embodied participation for health‐related fund‐raising campaigns

• Movember and Julyna have emerged as examples of health‐related fund‐raising and awareness campaigns that require embodied participation in the form of temporary body modification. Reaching a younger demographic not traditionally motivated by appeals to altruism, these campaigns have capitalized on the signifying power of the body to reflect and construct identities and self‐perceptions to motivate participation. Taking a cultural studies approach and employing visual, textual, and discursive analyses of the campaigns' websites, a primary vector for information dissemination and recruitment, this study highlights how philanthropic activity has been successfully coded as making participants more physically, sexually, and socially desirable. In promoting such individualistic motives for philanthropy, however, these campaigns further a mentality that philanthropy is foremost about personal gain. The challenge these initiatives pose is how to convert participants from individualistic to altruistic models of philanthropy.

Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The paradox of growth and giving: Critical case sampling to illuminate the catalytic potential of an underresearched phenomenon

The paradox of growth and giving is that, for a philanthropic gift to be of maximum use, both the donor and the nonprofit client must grow. The client's growth is frequently measured through program outcomes. The donor's growth is rarely addressed, but it can be measured by the cognitive complexity with which the donor approaches the problem. This qualitative study used constructive developmental theory and critical case sampling to identify and describe the three possible patterns in cognitive complexity: meaning making more complex in work than in philanthropy, equal in both domains, or more complex in philanthropy than in work. For each participant, we identified a developmental growth edge that, if pursued, would improve their philanthropic impact. Findings suggest that donors' cognitive complexity structures how they approach philanthropy and can be variable (context dependent). Participants were not aware of the extent to which philanthropy could also be a growth opportunity for themselves. This lack of awareness impedes their own growth potential and, thus, the potential of their philanthropic gifts. We discuss theoretical and practical implications for philanthropy.     

Donating Money to Get Money: The Role of Corporate Philanthropy in Stakeholder Reactions to IPOs

This study examines how stakeholders' investment time horizons interact with information about corporate giving in initial public offering (IPO) firms. Specifically, we build a model that explains how corporate philanthropy affects IPO performance. We find that at the IPO‐preparation stage, corporate giving is negatively related to underwriter prestige, venture capital investment, and IPO financing costs. We also find that at the IPO‐issuance stage, negative media coverage of IPOs moderates the U‐shaped relationship between corporate giving and market premiums. At the IPO‐trading stage, we find that corporate giving only positively influences the market premiums for IPO firms that are the subject of negative media reports. Our findings contribute to the signalling theory by showing how various stakeholders interpret the same signals differently, and they have implications for understanding how the relationship between corporate philanthropy and corporate financial performance materializes in the IPO markets.     

Funder's meaning making regarding complex,adaptive projects: Findings from a developmentally oriented feasibility study

Environmental non‐profit organizations need to raise billions of dollars in the coming years to support climate change initiatives. Many of these initiatives are complex in nature and markedly different from traditional environmental projects such as land conservation. These interventions are dependent on sufficient funding, and sufficient funding is dependent upon whether donors understand the problem and the intervention. Understanding the nature of complex problems is related to what developmental theorists call an individual's developmental level. Using a qualitative case study methodology, we conducted interviews with donors from one chapter of a large environmental organization, The Nature Conservancy, to (a) determine how high‐level donors react to capital campaign materials presenting systems‐oriented interventions and (b) test the utility of a developmentally informed feasibility study interview. The findings indicate that a developmental approach to feasibility study interviews is useful. Donors expressed interest about the idea of systemic change but are unclear as to how to measure the success of complex, adaptive initiatives. The developmentally informed interview process deepened the conversations between donors and staff and to provide what many interviewees described as a rare and much‐needed opportunity for reflection. Although the results from a single case study are not generalizable, the study nevertheless makes a theoretical contribution and has practical implications for fundraisers of organizations addressing climate change and, potentially, other complex issues.     

“Ongoing harm under a prettier,brighter umbrella”: A critical analysis of reconciliation talk in Canadian settler philanthropy

Engagement with the concept of reconciliation, broadly understood as the process or goal of transforming relations among Canada's Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples, became commonplace in the philanthropic sector after the 2015 release of the final report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC). Institutional responses to the TRC (e.g., by universities, businesses, healthcare institutions, governments, etc.) have been widely discussed in the academic literature—lauded by some as pivotal to the transformation of Indigenous/settler relations, and critiqued by many as no more than a shift in rhetoric covering over ongoing racialized colonial violence. Through a critical analysis of reconciliation talk as articulated through blog posts, press articles, conference recordings, webinars, and professional development resources produced by and for progressive settler philanthropy from 2012 to 2020, this essay analyses the hearty uptake of reconciliation in the sector. I bring these texts into dialog with the larger body of critiques of reconciliation, with the aim of interrogating settler philanthropy's place and roles in Canada's settler colonial order, past, and present. I focus on common terms and concepts that appear in conjunction with reconciliation talk such as diversity and inclusion; community-engagement and relationship building; learning and listening. I also explore instances of obfuscation and renaming, such as a scarcity of explicit references to race and racism, colonialism and white supremacy and a tendency to relegate colonialism to the past in texts produced by non-Indigenous authors. The themes I identify across these texts resemble those apparent in other institutional contexts. Reconciliation talk has potential to transform how settler philanthropy engages with Indigenous communities. Yet, many of the most urgent critiques raised in other fields apply to this context. Ultimately, I conclude, reconciliation talk may elevate and uphold—and indeed conceal—the white supremacist, colonial status quo in settler philanthropy and in Canada more broadly. Occlusions and renaming common to settler philanthropy's reconciliation talk contribute to what Vimalassery et al. describe as “colonial unknowing” and what Tuck and Yang call “settler moves to innocence.” In these ways, reconciliation serves a mystifying function for settler philanthropy, masking ongoing coloniality, absolving settler guilt, and avoiding more radical, transformative possibilities.     

Evaluating cause‐marketing campaigns in the Indian corporate landscape: The role of consumer skepticism and consumer attributions of firm's motive

More and more business organizations are engaging in social initiatives to make a positive contribution to society. Cause marketing, such as CSR, is one of the many ways that firms can manifest social responsibility by pitching‐in where government solutions are few or takes time in implementation, and it is the only type that calls for consumer participation. Because customer participation is imperative for the success of the campaign, it must be designed to connect with consumers while also making them feel that corporate efforts are authentic and truly helping the cause and not exploitative of the social cause. Using fictitious brand, cause‐marketing campaigns were designed, and two studies were conducted to analyze the relationship between cause involvement, consumer attributions on firm's motive, and consumer attitudes towards cause campaigns, and if and how the relationship differs when consumer skepticism towards cause claims existed. Multivariate analysis performed for hypotheses testing suggests that cause involvement influenced campaign attitudes and the relationship was mediated by consumer attributions of firm's motive, and consumer skepticism towards cause campaigns affected the relationship.     

When Employees Walk The Company Talk: The Importance Of Employee Involvement In Corporate Philanthropy

Although corporate philanthropy is often viewed as a vehicle for fostering employee commitment, research suggests that it does not always accomplish this goal. Drawing on theories on prosocial sensemaking and on social identity theory, I propose that involving employees in corporate philanthropy encourages more benevolent attributions for philanthropy, thereby promoting higher attitudinal and behavioral commitment. In Study 1, a field study with employees and supervisors in a chemical‐pharmaceutical firm, employee involvement in corporate philanthropy predicted higher attitudinal and behavioral commitment to the firm. In Study 2, a laboratory experiment, participants reported higher attitudinal and behavioral commitment to a company when it was described as involving employees in philanthropy. In both studies, benevolent attributions mediated the associations of employee involvement in philanthropy with both attitudinal and behavioral commitment. My research provides new insights for understanding the impact of corporate philanthropy on a particularly important group of stakeholders—employees—and shows how employee involvement may encourage insiders to act to improve the organization's external image. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Teaching student philanthropy—Possibilities for practice within the UK higher education sector

This practice paper reflects on lessons learnt from an undergraduate philanthropy module introduced across different programmes within the division for the Study of Law, Society, and Social Justice  at the University of Kent, United Kingdom. The module applies service-learning and experiential learning pedagogy to ensure students critically engage with community and societal issues; recognise themselves as philanthropists; and engage in a responsible decision-making process with their cohort. As one of the first UK Higher Education student philanthropy modules, lessons learnt provide important general reflections for student philanthropy modules internationally, alongside offering a potential ‘blueprint’ within the UK context. Aligning with others (such as McDougle's study) and drawing on critical reflections from students and partners, suggests that experiential learning pedagogy is most successful when carried out in a diverse and multidisciplinary learning space where students reflect on their own moral position alongside others to build consensus.     

Understanding students' responses to university‐led charity campaigns: a study of a Haitian earthquake relief campaign

The primary focus of this paper is to understand determinants of behavioral intentions of individuals towards a university‐led charitable campaign. We build a comprehensive model of determinants of behavioral intentions of students towards a university‐led charitable campaign at an individual level. This study identified perceived importance of the cause, social value, and recognition as determinants of behavioral intentions. The results indicated that to increase donations, charitable campaigns should stress the importance of the cause to potential donors and publicly recognize volunteers and donors. Implications and recommendations such as leveraging the university's internal channels of communication to reinforce the importance of the cause are discussed. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The adaptation of hospitality and retail firms to the NMW: a focus on the impact of age‐related clauses

A lower national minimum wage for 18‐ to 21‐year‐olds and the exclusion of all workers under 18 prompted fears of a distortion in the British labour market and an undermining of training initiatives. Empirical data collected from employers in two low paying sectors, revealing the full utilisation of young workers and under‐utilisation of training initiatives, ensure these fears are not justified and that the government's basis for the lower rate cannot be substantiated.     

Feeling poor,acting stingy: the effect of money perceptions on charitable giving

In research on philanthropy, much attention has been given to the impact of the actual economic costs of giving. This paper argues that the perceived psychological costs of giving should also be taken into consideration when seeking to understand donations to charitable organizations. It is already known that people differ in their attitudes towards money, and that money attitudes are mostly independent from income, but these findings have been largely overlooked in the study of philanthropy and altruism. This paper seeks to rectify that omission by investigating the relationship between charitable giving and money perceptions. The analyses show that, regardless of the actual financial resources held by a donor, the size of their donations is negatively affected by feelings of retention (a careful approach to money) and inadequacy (people who worry about their financial situation). We conclude that an understanding of money perceptions is an additional important factor in the understanding of charitable behaviour. Fundraising professionals should not only select potential donors based on their absolute financial capacities but also take the potential donor's own financial perceptions into account when asking for donations. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Payments for ecosystem services and corporate social responsibility: Perspectives on sustainable production,stakeholder relations,and philanthropy in Thailand

Payments for ecosystem services (PES) are environmental management tools that enable corporations to simultaneously enhance their environmental performance and fund sustainable development in rural areas. PES is primarily promoted as part of a sustainable production strategy for conserving natural resources, offsetting carbon emissions, and green supply chain management. Nevertheless, PES uptake by the private sector remains low, and few studies have analysed whether corporate‐financed PES schemes conform to this rationale. This study evaluates three of the first PES schemes in Thailand, financed by large corporations in the water utilities, aquaculture, and beverage sectors. Interviews with 39 business managers and project stakeholders suggest that PES may be viewed as a tool for philanthropy, public relations, and gaining license to operate—akin to many corporate social responsibility initiatives. Explanations and ramifications are discussed in the context of ecological uncertainty, risk management, financial performance, organisational learning, and the corporate‐engagement strategies of non‐governmental organisations.     

Communicating Corporate Social Responsibility to Internal Stakeholders: Walking the Walk or Just Talking the Talk?

As organizations recognize the need to engage in CSR and sustainability initiatives, it is integral to success to communicate that they are doing so. However, the research focus is more often on communicating with external stakeholders to draw attention to corporate responsibility initiatives. Internal stakeholders as employees are not researched as often, despite their integral role in communicating the organization's CSR vision and sustainability as they interact with external stakeholders. In order to explore employee perceptions of CSR communication, a two‐phase mixed‐method study was undertaken, including semi‐structured interviews with 20 CSR managers in NZ organizations to provide content to inform an online questionnaire survey to seek feedback from employees in these same organizations. This paper contributes to research on internal stakeholders in revealing the influence of the perceived value congruence between managers and employees in influencing internal stakeholder perceptions of CSR and sustainability initiatives. The findings have implications for public policy, enhancing organizational communication, the need for authenticity and managerial recognition of their role in facilitating employee commitment to CSR initiatives. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment     

EMBODIED CARBON IN TRADE: A SURVEY OF THE EMPIRICAL LITERATURE

This paper critically reviews the literature on embodied carbon in trade and evaluates our present empirical understanding of these flows. A careful comparison of quantitative results from this literature exposes significant inconsistencies. For instance, estimates for emission embodied in world trade in 2004 range between 4.4 Gt and 6.2 Gt CO2, the difference corresponding to around half of Europe's annual emissions. A few consistent themes do nevertheless emerge from the literature. Most importantly, emissions in trade constitute a large and growing share of global emissions. Uncertainty about country‐level embodied emissions remains large, however, which presents severe limitations for the practical application of embodied carbon principles in climate policy.     

Print media portrayals of giving: exploring national ‘cultures of philanthropy’

In their 2010 study drawing on 500 empirical philanthropy studies, Bekkers and Wiepking identified eight consistently significant giving mechanisms. The pilot study reported here extends what is known about one mechanism, values, as a giving driver, in particular considering how national cultural values apply to giving. Personal values are not formed in a vacuum. They are influenced by the wider culture and society: thus values have a socio-cultural dimension. Accordingly, this pilot research draws on media theory and cultural studies work on national ethos to explore how these national cultural values interact with giving. A directed qualitative content analysis has been undertaken to compare US and Australian print media coverage about philanthropy. The two nations share an Anglo–Saxon orientation but differ significantly in national character and philanthropic activity. This study posits that a nation's media coverage about giving will reflect its national cultural ethos. This coverage can also shape personal values, thus implications exist for theory about the antecedents of personal giving values. Wider national values may drive or stifle giving, so this wider view of values as a driver has implications also for philanthropy promotion and fundraising. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Assessing the value of the relationship between organizational culture types and knowledge management initiatives

This mixed‐methods study assessed the relationship between organizational culture type and continuous knowledge management initiatives in a prominent global company in the transportation industry. The two‐part sequential phase of grounded theory included triangulation through collection and analysis of quantitative data from a questionnaire followed by collection and analysis of qualitative data from interviews, observations, and documents. The theory emerged from the findings, and the results of this research study revealed the importance for leaders of assessing their organizational culture type as it relates to continuous knowledge management initiatives. Research indicates that it is imperative for leaders to understand organizational culture types for long‐term success to occur. By generating the right organizational culture and continuous knowledge management initiatives, leaders will enhance value and help increase an organization's competitive advantage.     

Activists face bureaucrats: the failure of the Israeli social workers' campaign

The Israeli social workers' campaign of 2011 enjoyed widespread support, a groundswell of rank‐and‐file participation, and democratic representation through new organisations pushing for a protracted struggle, yet the collective agreement seemingly imposed by the Histadrut fell far short of expectations. This article explains this discrepancy by asserting that the new organisations' ‘radical’ organising approach threatened the labour federation's long history of social partnership and its main strategies for retaining its hegemony. Thus incompatibility between the social partnership approach and the more radical ‘organising’ approach may explain the failure of a collective campaign and shed light on cases where the union appears to be suppressing or neutralising the aspirations of the workers it claims to represent.     

High art down net: Conceptualizing a citizen arts philanthropy with ethical codes and a digital system

This research aims to offer a new perspective of art philanthropy, different than the traditional one, that focuses on citizen's desire for and support to art as one of the most important, collective heritage of human society. It conceptually proposes the citizen arts philanthropy (CAP) system, as well as its application in the form of a digital platform. The research proposition is based on a cross-disciplinary review of literature on the history of arts, patronage and philanthropy, arts and philanthropy ethics, participatory philanthropy, evolution of stakeholders in the art world, and a digital citizen governance process. Analysis of the existing literature leads to the CAP conceptualization with the subsystem of artistic creation; financial, social, and practical engagement; and collective activities. Each subsystem sets its ethical codes to assure the ethics of arts philanthropy. The CAP system may be realized with a digital platform with registration, art and art philanthropy ethics setting, art selection and art philanthropy action. The digital platform is conceptualized as a collective design with citizen governance, including actors, domain, and process and includes the platform registration, art and art philanthropy ethics setting, art selection and art philanthropy action. The overall design of the CAP system offers a direct engagement of citizens in arts and arts philanthropy and assures that citizens have equalized rights and responsibilities regarding art selection and creation. It further contributes to a new ethics of arts and arts philanthropy and the ecosystem of the art world.     

Free collective bargaining and incomes policy: learning from Barbara Wootton and Hugh Clegg on post‐war British Industrial Relations and wage inequality

Growing income inequality has returned as a major political issue in affluent, advanced economies, often associated directly with the decline of trade unions and collective bargaining. In policy terms, this has been reflected in the British campaign for a ‘Living Wage’ and the new German minimum wage. Yet on the broader front, Industrial Relations (IR) struggles to find a credible regulatory strategy to address inequality—one that combines state and civil society initiatives and can be legitimised in political philosophy. This History and Policy article argues that there is much to learn from the IR past, before neo‐liberalism. My focus is the writing of Barbara Wootton and Hugh Clegg on ‘Incomes Policy’, from the 1950s to the early 1980s, when this was a central intellectual and policy issue in British IR. I explore the differing justifications for Incomes Policy, from corporatist macro‐economic management to social equality, comparing and contrasting the democratic socialist political principles of Wootton with Clegg's social democratic pluralism. The conclusion relates this historical debate between state pattern and civil society process to current concerns about how social democratic ideas and IR policy can address the problem of labour market inequality.     

Can you sell philanthropy?

This paper provides a case study of a social marketing campaign developed in Canada to promote philanthropy — the giving of time and money. It reviews the basic elements of the campaign and outlines the key lessons learned throughout its development. It explores some of the barriers and opportunities to increased generosity and describes how a communication programme attempted to overcome the barriers and capitalise on the opportunities.