Image: Third Sector Today

On Friday, January 10 Dr. Eugene Tempel keynoted the Bay Path College’s Hot Topics Lecture Series, The State of Philanthropy Today.  Dr. Eugene Tempel is the Founding Dean of Indiana University Lilly School of Philanthropy.  He was introduced by Bay Path College’s Provost,  Dr. Melissa Morriss-Olson, as ..”one of the brightest minds in philanthropy. Among his many awards and honors, he was recognized by The NonProfit Times as 2013’s “Influencer of the Year,” for his founding of the first-ever academic program dedicated to the study and teaching of philanthropy.”

Dr. Tempel was additionally introduced by his own, personal connection to Bay Path College, Dr. Sarah Nathan who is now a professor at Bay Path, but was once Dr. Tempel’s graduate assistant.  Dr. Nathan introduced her mentor as a philanthropist in the truest sense, “He lives the life of a philanthropist, and gives people like you and me his time and wisdom.”

About 140 attendees weathered the snowy and icy conditions to take part in the event; and additional “cyber-attendees” were present and able to ask questions thanks to a live feed.  Dr. Tempel spoke about the driving forces behind philanthropy and how economic conditions have affected giving over the years and, specifically, following the recent recession.

Some interesting take-aways:

• Twice as many people in the US give (money and/or time) as vote in even the biggest elections
• He expects that it will take about ten years for giving to reach back to the pre-recession levels
• Performance of S&P 500 and Growth in Household Income are the best indicators of growth in philanthropy
• “In every act of philanthropy, there is an actual human being”
• High Net Worth Individuals: largest percentage is given to Education orgs and for, firstly, General Operating Support and, secondly, Fund Programs
• General Population: largest sector of giving is to Religious orgs
• Research from Sara H. Konrath (University of Michigan) reveals that altruistic endeavors have healthful benefits. (You may be interested in this recent post: How Volunteering May Save Your Life)
• Gen X-ers and Millennials: They volunteer often to be social, if not consistent.  They can use social media to quickly rally a group to action
• Women play a major role in giving and are generally more philanthropic
• Fundraising is about meaningful engagement

 

Bay Path College offers a graduate program on Nonprofit Management and Philanthropy (online and on campus) under the guidance of Jeffrey Greim Director, MS in Nonprofit Management and Philanthropy and MS in Strategic Fundraising and Philanthropy.

Third Sector Today was granted a personal interview with Dr. Tempel.  Coming soon!