On September 26, “Reshaping the Conversation: How to Rebuild Public Trust in Philanthropy.”
The refrains are familiar: Foundations dole out pennies to charities yet hoard billions. Donors receive lucrative tax exemptions then sit on the money or use loopholes to spend it on partisan causes. Grantmakers reveal little about their operations, yet expect grantees to document everything they do.
No matter how fair those charges, philanthropy is facing a major trust deficit. Closing the gap will require changes in how donors and foundations operate.
Many options are available: changing how charitable tax exemptions and deductions work; creating stronger regulations on political giving; and developing new ways—possibly including government requirements—to help the public understand where money is going.
To discuss what might work best, a September 26 Chronicle of Philanthropy webinar, “Reshaping the Conversation: How to Rebuild Public Trust in Philanthropy,” will gather a panel experts from diverse perspectives to debate potential solutions to these longstanding issues—and outline where everyone agrees—with the goal of moving from debate to action.
The free webinar, held in partnership with The Giving Review and the Institute for Policy Studies (IPS), will begin at 3 p.m. Eastern time.
Its panelists are: Chuck Collins, director of IPS’s Program on Inequality and the Common Good; Craig Kennedy, Giving Review senior fellow and Chronicle of Philanthropy columnist; Jan Masaoka, chief executive officer of the California Association of Nonprofits; Andrea Caupain Sanderson, co-founder and co-executive director of the BIPOC Executive Directors Coalition; and Dean Zerbe, national managing director of alliantgroup and former senior counsel to the U.S. Senate Finance Committee.
Chronicle of Philanthropy chief executive officer Stacy Palmer will moderate the hour-long session.
