Throughout my time in the honors program at ISU, I have been able to be a part of unique classes and projects. One of the classes that supported my education and curiosity outside of my degree was the honors exploration titled “In Pursuit of a Better World: The Promise and Challenge of American Philanthropy.” This experience provided a unique insight into philanthropy through providing an overview of its history, philanthropy today, and philanthropy at ISU. Understanding the effect of philanthropy in education such as at ISU expanded my understanding of what ISU is as an organization and educational facility.
Over the course of the class, I was introduced to a wide range of topics surrounding the role of philanthropy as it connects to most fields of work. One of such classes discussed the roles of traditionally marginalized groups in American philanthropy. During our discussion of this
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Before taking the class, I would describe a philanthropist as someone who has donated a large amount of money. However, as discussed in the class, the amount of giving financially is not the only way a person can give back. Rather one can give their time, skills, or talents to support a cause and be considered a philanthropist. The idea of giving skills and one’s time to support causes is an extremely important concept. As a student, financially giving is not always the most appropriate way for me to show support. However, I do possess other skills that could support organizations from a non-monetary perspective. Skills such as managing and leading a team, collecting data, or being available to complete routine tasks all lend themselves to being a philanthropist and making a difference. Taking the initiative to support organization’s that matter, and working as a collective to support the mission, enhances ones ablity to make a difference in a
Philanthropy is the desire to promote the welfare of others. It is especially shown when individuals donate money to good causes. Philanthropy gradually improves farmer’s wages and factory workers working conditions. There were many great examples of this in the Gilded Age, one being, Andrew Carnegie. He was one of the most influential philanthropists in the Guiled Age.
In 2007, I, along with a few of my peers, founded the Little Lemon Drop Jr. Guild as a way to give back to our community. Since then, this nonprofit organization has raised thousands of dollars that has gone to support uncompensated care at Seattle Children’s Hospital. Throughout my middle school and high school years, I have been very involved with this group. When I had the opportunity to choose a service placement for this year, I immediately knew I would be doing my service through the Little Lemon Drop Jr. Guild because of my previous involvement with the guild and my passion for the cause the guild supports.
The “Gospel of Wealth” pushes philanthropic ideas in order to settle the issues of wealth inequality at this time. This document argues that it is the duty of
I see the value in contributing time and work to an organization that helps others in need. Many people depend on food donations and the service and work provided by many people of the organization are making positive impact in the
Joseph Frazier Wall created a chart of Carnegie’s philanthropy which showed him providing “$50,365,000 for the construction of 2811 free public libraries” along with other gifts (129). Wall showed how Carnegie valued education. Not all people liked receiving the gifts that Carnegie gave to the community. William Jewett Tucker stated, “It is better for any community to advance more slowly than to gain altogether by gifts rather than, in large part, by earnings...but if the method becomes the accepted method, to be accepted and relied upon, the decline of self-respect has begun” (133). Tucker thought that the more gifts Carnegie gave the more the poor would rely on him for things and Tucker felt that the poor should earn what they receive.
Stephanie Strom, writer for the New York Times, announces that “Ms. Switzer was determined to make an opportunity, as she calls it, out of the philanthropy that rose from the ashes that blanketed the school.” Anna Switzer, the public school’s principal, created a program called Project Giveback that educates children that they are strong enough to help others now that they have been aided themselves. The students would send stuffed animals to hospitals, write letters to their helpers in other states, and help raise money for different organizations. This initially limited effort that came out of a principal and her students demonstrates America can prevail through one of its worst moments in history through the help of one another.
Philanthropy in the Progressive Era The Progressive Era (1890s-1920s) is characterized by its ideological contribution to the reshaping of the United States in the political, economic, and social spheres (Lecture 10, slide 17). In this analysis, I will focus on national progress according to two major period actors: Andrew Carnegie, the so-called “father of modern philanthropy” and Jane Addams, the founder of “Chicago’s first social settlement” (Lecture 5, slide 14; Addams, 1). By contrasting their pieces, “Wealth” and “The Hull House” respectively, I will focus on how the concept of philanthropy differs between economic classes.
However, the Doctors Without Borders charity is an organization that harms many doctors and citizens in the USA. Also, the Doctors Without Borders organization does not put the money that is donated into the organization’s mission. The Salvation Army’s approach to philanthropy
In my freshman year, I made a choice to relinquish some of my social life and replace that time giving back to my community. I joined a non-profit organization called the Volunteer Corp. We spent our time at food banks, park clean-ups, and even hosting local events. This experience left a lasting impression on me in many ways; however, one experience changed my perspective on life and serve as a constant reminder of how the smallest contribution to others can be the most powerful. St. Joseph University, in Philadelphia, held an event called Hand in Hand. It was an event dedicated to raising awareness for people with physical and/or developmental disabilities.
Any philanthropic service that one can do, not just through a sorority, significantly benefits someone’s personal and communal life. Being in a sorority, however, gives someone even more opportunities to give back to the community and be able to do it consistently. Although most sororities and fraternities require their members to participate in community service, almost all members continue doing this philanthropic work and benefit from it in many ways. These certain benefits could be connecting with one’s community, growing social skills through communicating with members of the community and getting a different aspect of one’s community that could have them react positively to change it. In research on how philanthropy events affect members of a sorority or fraternity, Long says, “The researchers found that service involvement was positively associated with fraternity/sorority membership, being female, and academic performance” (Long, 18).
Some say that Andrew Carnegie was not the hero that he pretended to be. The immense fortune he had amassed was created not altogether honestly. The essay written by Carnegie himself titled The Gospel of Wealth argues that rich men are “‘trustees’ of their wealth” but have the responsibility to use money for the benefit of the public (Andrew Carnegie). This belief is evident in some of Carnegie’s more public acts; large donations towards schools were meant to show the tycoon in a more pleasant light.
Today, I work in a field where I can pay forward this type of empowerment, by administering programs that help people start and develop assets through entrepreneurship and
At the end of the 19th Century, as the United States was experiencing rapid industrialization, a reconfiguration of the social order yielded opposing visions of social progress. Andrew Carnegie, wealthy businessman, and Jane Addams, founder of Chicago’s Hull House, put forward different methods to achieve such progress, where Addams focuses on creating social capital in a seemingly horizontal manner while Carnegie advocates for a top-down approach. While both of them seem to reap a sense of purpose from their attempts to improve the nation, their approaches vary depending on their vision of the composition of the population they want to uplift. First, Carnegie and Addams’ desire to improve society is partly self-serving. For Carnegie, improving society is the role of the wealthy man who, “animated by Christ’s spirit” (“Wealth”), can administer wealth for the community better than it could have for itself (“Wealth”).
Ian Keller 2/26/23 PHL 313 Professor Bauer I. Introduction I'll be discussing William MacAskill's 2013 essay, "To Save the World, Don't Get a Job at a Charity; Go Work on Wall Street." Instead of working for charities directly, MacAskill argues that people who want to have the biggest impact on the world should pursue lucrative positions in finance and donate a sizeable amount of their wealth to worthwhile causes. I will set out MacAskill's position, emphasizing his main thoughts and points. I'll then provide my own philosophical response to this argument, outlining a different viewpoint on how people can affect change in the world. In particular, I'll argue that while earning to donate can be an effective way to donate money to effective charities, there are limitations to this approach.
Even though my effort alone may not be significant to the society, I believe that my effort would at least support those in my surrounding. Besides fulfilling my urge to contribute, I want a job to be financially independent. Believing that money is not the only life objective, I do