Giving Now

Dirty dollars, tainted donors and "poverty porn" have caused a social backlash against philanthropy. As more wealth is concentrated in the hands of a rising number of billionaires, it is clear that the same system that created their wealth also perpetuates deep inequality, social injustice, and human suffering.Philanthropists often give with strings attached. They want to make the world a better place, but insist on their own vision of what constitutes a better world. Some donors also pay with tainted money, give to hate groups, or use their money to launder their reputations. Nonprofits that ignore the warning signs are often complicit in the fallout that comes with "dark dollars".Using case studies, Patricia Illingworth shows how to address this problem. She argues that approaching philanthropy through a human rights lens can improve the quality of giving, resolve urgent quandaries, and mitigate the social injustice that philanthropy can perpetuate. A philosopher and lawyer, Illingworth makes the case that people and organizations have human rights responsibilities that should guide philanthropy and the nonprofit sector. When philanthropy begins to acknowledge, respect, and protect human rights it will regain its social license and help to make the world a better place.

IntroductionPlan of this BookChapter 1 - MismatchGiving in the USNeed: Poverty and InequalityFor One and For AllChapter 2 - Corporations Doing GoodGreed is Good!The Rise of Compassionate CapitalismChapter 3 - Giving Well: Philanthropy for Human RightsThe Human Rights Responsibilities of Non-State ActorsSocial Expectations are ChangingThe Power of a Social LicenseChapter 4 - Blood MoneyTwo Sides of the Same CoinTo Accept, or Not to AcceptThrough A Human Rights LensChapter 5 - Doing Good to do BadVariations on a ThemeJeffrey Epstein's Gift to MIT Media LabTackling Moral Self-LicensingA Place for Ethics CodesChapter 6 - Fundraising with Dignity for AllPoverty Porn and Donor ManipulationProtecting Human RightsThe Good PlaceChapter 7 - Philanthropy's Democracy ProblemA Study in ContrastProtecting DemocracyInfluence: The Devil is in the DetailsSaving Civil SocietyFor the Sake of DemocracyChapter 8 - The Fierce Urgency of NowSame Storm, Different BoatsPhilanthropy Stepping Up: Sort OfGiving For Human RightsIf Not Now, Then When?Chapter 9 - Accelerating Human RightsDue Diligence for Human RightsFundraisers: Practice What You PreachNonprofits: When to Say NoDonors: To Give or Not to GiveBibliographyNotes by Chapter