The Barron’s magazine list of the 25 “best” philanthropists continues to roil the nonprofit world.
In the article, the publication acknowledges that deciding who are the most effective donors is a difficult and highly subjective task. Despite this disclaimer, philanthropy experts have questioned the effort.
Sean Stannard-Stockton, a donor adviser and regular contributor to The Chronicle, says on his blog that he likes that Barron’s emphasized philanthropists who are achieving results, but doesn’t like that it ranked them.
Similarly, the authors of Philanthrocapitalism, Matthew Bishop and Michael Green, argue on their blog that Barron’s excluded several important donors, like Mo Ibrahim and Jet Li.
On the Nonprofit Quarterly Web site, Cindy Gibson, a foundation consultant, wonders if there’s an “appearance of bias” in the relationships between the donors and Global Philanthropy Group, the consulting company that assisted Barron’s with the list.
In an interview, Trevor Neilson, Global Philanthropy Group’s president, says that some of the people on the list have been clients, while others he has assisted in an informal role.
“Of that list of people, I have worked with 20 of those people in one way or another,” he says.
But he says the list was based on a rigorous set of criteria and that given his 15 years working in philanthropy, he was bound to know some of the donors.
“The bottom line is I think if you’re working in philanthropy and representing serious philanthropists, it’s hard to not have a person or two on the list,” he says.
Over all, Mr. Neilson says he welcomes what he describes as the small controversy the list has generated, saying his goal was “to begin an international conversation about impact in philanthropy.”
He also issued a playful challenge to his critics, asking them to come up with their own list of effective donors. “I would love to see all the philanthropy bloggers who have criticized the Barron’s list to release their own top 25 and compare it,” he says.
What do you think of the list? Who would be on your list of the most effective philanthropists? Click on the comment button below to share your views.
