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May 04, 2008

Council on Foundations
A Global Philanthropy Movement

Steve Gunderson, president of the Council on Foundations, welcomed more than 3,000 people from 39 countries to the council’s big philanthropy conference on Sunday night by urging grant makers to think of themselves as part of a global movement.

“We have tended to see what divides us rather than what unites us, leaving us with a world of philanthropy composed of its separate parts,” he told the opening plenary session.

Mr. Gunderson has been planning the “leadership summit” for more than two years as a way to get all varieties of foundations to look beyond their particular giving structure and work with each other to strengthen philanthropy.

“The common citizen in most of the nations represented here this evening does not know us at all,” he said. “Nor have we done all that well at even knowing ourselves.” As philanthropy grows and attracts more scrutiny, philanthropists must “collectively define” their work or let detractors mischaracterize them, he said.
(Listen to an audio interview with Mr. Gunderson about his goals for the conference.)

Tackling crises in areas like AIDS, Darfur, Tibet, or American schools—or how to operate more effectively and openly — are common challenges for foundations regardless of their legal structure or geographic location, he added.

Explaining the global nature of the conference, Mr. Gunderson said the 21st century is marked by a “new era of individual and corporate resources and wealth” in regions including China, India, Latin America, Russia, and southern Africa.

“Market economies are best when combined with a strong philanthropic sector,” he said.

— Suzanne Perry

Sunday May 4, 2008 | Permalink

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