What is Philanthropic Studies?

Taylor Certain

P450

January 29, 2018

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 As there is no easy way to answer the question, “What is Philanthropy,” defining, “What

does it mean to have an undergraduate degree in Philanthropic Studies,” is not simple either.

According to my transcript, having a degree in Philanthropic Studies means that I have

completed certain courses and have maintained a good GPA. According to the IUPUI Lilly

School of Philanthropy website, “School faculty and staff train and empower students and

practitioners to innovate and lead—and to create positive and lasting change in the world.”

Meaning, that according to coursework guidelines, “Students will have the opportunity to

complete an internship, study abroad, learn how to make a difference in the world, examine

global perspectives, prepare to become a dynamic, innovative, and reflective leader in

philanthropy or in a nonprofit organization, gain broad insights and practical skills, explore

interactions among the public, private, and nonprofit sectors, participate in groundbreaking

research, and study with renowned faculty from more than 20 disciplines” (IUPUI). However,

since Philanthropic Studies is a relatively new program, few people are able to define what it

actually means to be an undergraduate in the field. Reflecting on the field’s transition and my

own experience, a degree in Philanthropic Studies means that a student has explored

philanthropy through the scope of many different disciplines, through research, experiential

learning, and reflection in relation to their individuality and aspirations. It is important to study

because students are able to gain a wide breadth of knowledge about how to be effective and

ethical as professional in the field.

Why Does Philanthropy Exist?

Payton and Moody claim that the answer to the question, ‘Why does philanthropy exist,”

lies in the philosophy behind meliorism. They define meliorism as, “The doctrine that the world

can be made better through rightly directed human effort” (Payton and Moody, 2008, p. 97).

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They postulate that meliorism lies between having big ideas of how to implement change while

realizing that there are many factors we must take into consideration. “The world of meliorism

and philanthropy is a real world of success and failure, vice and virtue, good and evil, right and

wrong, that is never finally complete” (Payton and Moody, 2008, p. 124). They continue

discussing how there are difficult decisions that must be made at times because we are affecting

real people and we have real limitations in what can be done. Philanthropic Studies is important

to learning how to make the world better through rightly directed human effort and it is

important to making careful decisions on how to do so.

The Transition to Philanthropic Studies

In, The Work of Many Hands: A Response to Stanley N. Katz on the Origins of the

“Serious Study” of Philanthropy, Hall (1999) gives an overview of how Philanthropy has

transformed into a professional field. In the 1890’s there was a lot of research done on charity

and philanthropy done in early societies that resulted in scholarly works being published on the

topic. In the 1950’s, The Princeton Conference encouraged more research done on the subject.

This was an important even that called many scholars from several different disciplines to do

research related to philanthropy in their perspective fields. The creation of the Association of

Voluntary Action Scholars was important because of their mission, “which posited voluntary

action as a more encompassing concept to gain the increasing interest being shown in

philanthropy and voluntarism by scholars from a variety of disciplines and professions” (Hall,

200, p. 526). Philanthropy became even more popular after WWII because entrepreneurs were

interested in tax considerations and public policy rather than altruism. Then the Filer

Commission, “...Called for an informal network organization,” leading to the establishment of

the Independent Sector (Hall, 1999, p. 527). The rise in nonprofits, social interest, and academic

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interest since then has led to the need for a focused look at philanthropy as its own field of

interest.

In, The History of American Philanthropy as a Field of Research, Curti (1957) discusses

how important the Princeton Conferences in 1956 were to the emergence of Philanthropic

Studies. This was a two-day conference sponsored by the Russell Sage Foundation that called for

more research to be done on philanthropy to advance the knowledge in the field. Throughout the

article, Curti poses questions that relate philanthropy to the people it serves, social and political

systems that it interacts with, the motivations of people in the field, and the economics involved.

These interactions are important to look at because philanthropy is dependent on the historical

context it takes place in, there are laws that affect it, the amount of funding available, etc. “No

single question or topic suggested here can really be understood without reference to every other

one” (Curti, 1957, p. 363). This article is important to understanding that philanthropy is

multidisciplinary. It important to study philanthropy in order to gain a better understanding of

how it fits within the context of society, the affects that it has on society, and the affects society

has on it.

Why is the Study of Philanthropy Valuable?

In, Philanthropic Studies as a Central and Centering Discipline in the Humanities,

Turner (2004), also discusses how it is important to connect the many disciplines that are

involved with philanthropy. However, he focuses on the humanities side and how it can

influence people to want to make a difference in society. Through self-knowledge, one can better

understand how to create the influence in society they wish to create. “Philanthropic Studies

seeks to reflect on its subject as well as see its work carried forward into action in the world”

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(Turner, 2004, p. 2084). Therefore, Philanthropic Studies is a way to learn about philanthropy as

well as how we see ourselves within the field.

“Do you believe that this person and this idea together will change the pattern in the

field” (Bornstein, 2007, p.128). In, How to change the world: Social entrepreneurs and the

power of new ideas, Bornstein explores the idea of a social entrepreneur and how they impact the

world. In philanthropy the person behind the idea and their connection with wanting social

change is important because philanthropy is not possible without donor support and community

support. As an undergraduate emerging into the field, who I am, is just as important as my ideas.

As a student completing an undergraduate degree in Philanthropic Studies, I hold a

unique perspective compared to many scholars who are in the field. Completing an

undergraduate degree has given me the opportunity to learn about the fields through many

different disciplines. I have been able to consider the history, ethics, laws, motivations, and

governmental influences that relate to philanthropy.

I have also completed an internship that encouraged the application of the knowledge I

have received in the program. It also created a networking opportunity and a chance to see how I

fit into the type of work I chose. According to a study done on the Endicott College internship

program, “Ninety percent of the graduates indicated that their employment was directly related to

their fields of study, and 53 percent reported that they obtained their current positions directly

from their internships or internship contacts” (Saltikoff, 2017). Having an internship has been

extremely beneficial to my professional network and my view of philanthropy in practice.

The Capstone Course has also given me an opportunity to think and reflect on how the

knowledge I have received throughout the program has prepared me for a future as a

professional. “This course will assist you as graduating seniors in reflecting upon, synthesizing,

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and demonstrating the substantial knowledge, skills, and dispositions you have gained as a

Philanthropic Studies major” (Freeman, 2018). By completing this course, I have been able to

see how everything I have learned, combined with my own interests and passions, has allowed

me to have a better idea about who I am as a profession in the field, what I want to do, and how I

plan to emerge as that professional.

I have learned many skills, knowledge, and abilities as an undergraduate in Philanthropic

Studies such as how to network, how to think abstractly and do research, and what it takes to be

a professional. Writing skills are also a huge skill focused on as an undergraduate in

Philanthropic Studies. In addition, we are encouraged to listen to others’ points of view with the

understanding that people are going to have many different perspectives and that debate is

healthy to formulating ideas. Through debate we are also reminded that what we think is best is

not always the case.

All of the work I have done in the Philanthropic Studies program has given me

confidence in the fact that I will be successful and happy as professional because I have been

challenged to constantly think about who I am as a person while transitioning through a really

interesting time in life. I was able to think about past events, the people in my life, who I am, and

what is important to me. I have been challenged to consider my goals in relation to those aspects

and how implement then into what I want to do, what I am passionate about, and how I am going

to emerge as a professional.

The Benefits of Majoring in Philanthropic Studies

An individual, who completes an undergraduate degree in Philanthropic Studies, will exit

the program with a wide vast of knowledge and perspective on philanthropy. They will be

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excellent problem solvers who consider many different perspectives. They will be confident

individuals who are passionate about trying to make the world better.

Conclusion

It can be concluded that when taking into account the transition of Philanthropic Studies,

research, and reflection of my own experiences that a degree in Philanthropic Studies means that

a student has explored philanthropy through the scope of many different disciplines, through

research, experiential learning, and reflection in relation to their individuality and aspirations. It

is important to study because students are able to gain a wide breadth of knowledge about how to

be effective and ethical as professional in the field.

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 Bibliography

About. (n.d.). Retrieved January 29, 2018, from https://philanthropy.iupui.edu/about/index.html

Bornstein, D. (2007). How to change the world: Social entrepreneurs and the power of new

ideas. Oxford University Press, New York, NY.

Curti, M. (1957). The History of American Philanthropy as a Field of Research. The American

Historical Review, 62(2), 352-363. doi:10.1086/ahr/62.2.352

Freeman, (2018, January 8), PHST-P 450 Capstone in Philanthropic Studies, Retrieved January

29, 2018, from

https://iu.instructure.com/courses/1704360/files/folder/Syllabus%20and%20Core%20Do

cuments?preview=76434577

Payton, R. L., & Moody, M. P. (2008). Understanding philanthropy: its meaning and mission.

Bloomington: Indiana University Press.

Hall, P. (1999). The Work of Many Hands: A Response to Stanley N. Katz on the Origins of the

“Serious Study” of Philanthropy. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 28(4), 522-

534. Retrieved January 29, 2018.

Saltikoff, N. (2017, May 1). The Positive Implications of Internships on Early Career Outcomes.

Retrieved January 29, 2018, from http://www.naceweb.org/job-market/internships/the-

positive-implications-of-internships-on-early-career-outcomes/

Turner, R. (2004). Philanthropic Studies as a Central and Centering Discipline in the

Humanities. International Journal of the Humanities, 2(3), 2083-2086. Retrieved January

29, 2018.