- Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society
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- Multicultural Philanthropy Curriculum Guides Series
Multicultural Philanthropy Curriculum Guides Series
Giving and voluntarism are deeply ingrained traditions in American life, yet most of the curricula at colleges and universities overlook the importance of philanthropic activities, or portray them as the exclusive province of elites. To remedy this, the Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society, with support from the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, developed a series of curriculum guides to examine the ways in which a variety of groups have used their gifts of time and money to build nonprofit institutions, forge public/private partnerships, promote social and legislative change, and participate in public policymaking
Fourteen guides examine the ways in which various gender, ethnic, cultural, religious and racial groups use their gifts of time, money, and talent. They reflect the ways giving and voluntarism are embedded in American life and challenge the notion that philanthropy is the exclusive province of elites. The guides include discussion topics, research questions, and literature overviews with annotated bibliographies. They were developed both to integrate the study of philanthropy into the curricula at colleges and universities, and to provide a tool to nonprofit professionals in the area of development and fundraising. Each volume provides background information on a selected community that will help practitioners work effectively with these groups.
The guides are part of the Multicultural Philanthropy Project funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. The guides are available in PDF.
Women and Philanthropy in the United States, 1790‐1990
Kathleen D. McCarthy
Professor of History and Director of the Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society
The Graduate Center, The City University of New York
Combined undergraduate and graduate guide. 128 pages.
Description
This guide provides an overview of the rich tradition of women’s giving and volunteering in the United States over the course of two centuries (between 1790 and 1990) and illustrates the ways that women have changed American society. The volume focuses on voluntary associations and describes the activities of various groups of women in different regions of the United States.
Audience
It will be of particular use to those seeking to understand the ways that philanthropy has played an important role in enabling women of different religious, races, regions and economic backgrounds to shape American politics, professions and institutions. In providing insight into how American women have contributed to the social economy, it offers a context for nonprofit professionals and fundraisers who are looking to identify the best ways to tap into the enormous wealth held by women in the 21st century.
Uses
The best way to use this guide is to review the short weekly units and the literature overview to see what issues have engaged women, as a group, in the past, and to show how women’s social action has been intimately connected with philanthropic giving. This knowledge may then serve as a springboard for involving women today by reminding women of their ability to use giving and voluntarism to shape the future in directions they believe important.
Kathleen D. McCarthy - Full text
Philanthropy and Voluntarism Among the Jews
Egon Mayer
Professor of Sociology, Brooklyn College and Director of the Center for Jewish Studies, Graduate School and University Center
The City University of New York
Undergraduate guide
108 pages
Description
This guide introduces the reader to the religious-cultural and historical origins of modern American Jewish philanthropy and voluntarism, and includes excerpts from traditional religious texts that provide the foundation of the Jewish philanthropic tradition. Finally, it considers the centrality of philanthropy and voluntarism to the history of Jewish institutions and cultural movements in American society.
Uses
The volume offers those affiliated with Jewish social and religious organizations with information that may enable them to better understand and build on Jewish traditions at a time in history when Jewish identification is weakening among younger generations. The author suggests that familiarity with the particular local circumstances of community provides opportunities for the development of new outreach organizations. The guide also provides individuals of other faiths with useful information about the wide range of communal and nonprofit agencies that provide social services and other kinds of community support.
Audience
It will be of particular use to those seeking to understand Jewish philanthropy and the communal institutions that depend on it. In doing so, the author offers insight into the ties between generosity, theology, and religious structures.
A Graduate Curriculum Guide to Topics in Black American Philanthropy in the United States Since 1785
Colin Palmer
Distinguished Professor of History, Graduate School and University Center, The City University of New York; and Princeton University
116 pages
Description
This guide documents the various ways in which blacks have practiced self‐help starting with the formation in 1785 of the Free African Society, the first of many mutual aid societies established by free blacks in the United States. The author emphasizes the organizations and individuals who were significant to efforts to improve the black condition, while also analyzing the ideology that legitimized various philanthropic exercises. He considers both the successes and the failures and includes a look at those who sought to “redeem” Africa and Africans.
Audience
The guide will be of particular use to those seeking to understand the long tradition of black philanthropy, self‐help and other organizations, and how the history of these organizations reflects the struggles of a people to create and realize themselves.
Uses
Information on key African American individuals and organizations is readily accessible. The guide may be used to identify sound building blocks for developing strategies for culturally sensitive and historically appropriate fundraising appeals.
Catholic Philanthropy in America (UNDERGRADUATE/GRADUATE)
Mary J. Oates
Professor of Economics, Regis College, Weston Massachusetts
166 pages
Description
The volume aims to deepen understanding of the character, historical evolution, and significance of Catholic philanthropy in American life. It explores ways in which religion, class, and ethnic values shaped the philanthropic initiatives and benevolent organizations of a rapidly growing church from 1800 to contemporary times. The altruistic visions, associations and labor services of ordinary parishioners, often characterized as outside the mainstream of American philanthropy, are integral to the exploration.
Audience
Students of the church, those working with Catholic organizations, as well as those working with largely Catholic populations, will find the volume of use as it delineates the aspirations, motivations and religious tenets of Catholic philanthropy.
Uses
Contemporary studies indicate that Catholics have been less generous to non‐church causes than other Christians. By exposing the reader to the long history of Catholic philanthropy and exploring the reasons for the contemporary decline, the volume can aid those who are working with Catholic populations to increase their level of volunteerism and giving.
Anglo-American Protestant Philanthropy, 1600 to the Present
Angelo Angelis
History Department
Graduate School and University Center
The City University of New York
Combined undergraduate and graduate guide
176 pages
Description
This guide provides a historical overview of American Protestant philanthropy from 1600 through the late 20th century. The author considers the ways that Protestant churches have mobilized volunteers and charitable donations on a large‐scale and, in so doing, have helped shape the country's social agenda. The volume examines how at various points in time Protestant philanthropy has operated in harmony with and in opposition to the state, offering its readers an opportunity to engage in the complex and intriguing debate over the involvement of church in matters of state.
Audience
It will be of particular use to those seeking to better understand the complex and intriguing debate over the involvement of church in matters of state, and the impact of the activities of Protestant churches and how this has changed over time as the religious and demographic landscape of the country has changed.
Uses
The guide is valuable as an introduction that points the way for further reading on a broad range of topics related to Protestant philanthropy, women in U.S. history, foreign missions, the Social Gospel, and American social movements more generally. It includes relevant to those interested in the African American experience and the role of religious organizations in social movements, as well as missionary work.
Philanthropy in American History: The Elite Experience, 1890-1940 (GRADUATE)
Thomas Kessner, Professor of History and Ariel Rosenblum, Ph.D. Program in History
Graduate School and University Center
The City University of New York
192 pages
Description
Scholars have used the lens of philanthropy to look at such diverse issues as civil society, liberal reform, public culture and the growth of the state. This volume looks closely at the “organization of time and money for the public benefit,” in one aspect of the philanthropic universe: the Protestant elite who rose to great wealth in the Gilded Age and the institutions they founded at the beginning of the twentieth century.
Audience
The volume is intended for those interested in acquiring a greater understanding of the history and influence of the large foundations of the 20th century. It is particularly useful in delineating how the strategic use of philanthropic dollars led to the creation of elite institutions, which helped shape public discourse.
Uses
The volume, which includes an annotated bibliography and bibliographic essays, provides insight into the motivations and objectives of the large foundations, the kinds of programs they funded and what they hoped to accomplish. By delineating the successes and limitations of foundation activities, the guide provides historical context for those working with foundations today.
Latinos and the Development of Community: Philanthropy, Associations, and Advocacy
Eugene D. Miller
Assistant Director, Center for the Study of Philanthropy
Graduate School and University Center
The City University of New York
Combined undergraduate and graduate guide
169 pages
Description
This guide is designed to illuminate aspects of Latino history through the prism of philanthropic activities and, in doing so, reveal the ways associations and advocacy have contributed to development of the country’s Latino communities. While its definition of philanthropy is broad, the inclusion of four specific Latino groups is limited – Mexican Americans in the West and Southwest; Puerto Ricans and Dominicans in New York; and Cuban Americans in Florida. The selection is based on size, rate of growth, political influence, and length of time each group has settled and formed associations in the U.S.
Audience
For each of the groups identified, the guide provides communal associational history, responses to shifting political and economic environments; and the development of major organizations in the Latino community. In doing so, the author provides a cultural and historical context for those working in the communities either as practitioners or fund raisers.
Uses
The guide is useful as a case study of organizational responses to community identity and growth through such models as mutulista societies and organized labor. It is equally useful in raising tough questions facing Latino communities and others regarding the development of a group‐specific agenda with regard to the state, education, jobs, and the influx of new immigrants.
Topics in Asian American Philanthropy and Voluntarism (PROFESSIONAL) Jessica Chao
Consultant to nonprofits and philanthropy
89 pages
Description
The guide offers a broad overview of the scope and variety of Asian American philanthropy and voluntarism, including information on the history and practices of Asian Americans in creating community voluntary structures. It plays particular emphasis on both the informal, but pervasive practices of giving time, energy talent and resources within the Asian American community as well as the conditions necessary to have Asian Americans engage in mainstream giving.
Audience
Designed primarily for professionals working with Asian American nonprofit organizations, the guide may also prove useful to those who wish to increase the participation of Asian Americans in their organizations or civic activities.
Uses
The guide is designed to inculcate an appreciation of the persistence of community building within the Asian American community and that as a result of this appreciation more practitioners and comm
Advocacy, Democratic Theory, and Participation (UNDERGRADUATE)
Marilyn Gittell, Professor of Political Science and Director, Howard Samuels State Management and Policy Center
and Kathe Newman, Ph.D. Program in Political Science Graduate School and University Center
68 pages
Description
Divided into three sections —Theory and Participation, Pluralism and Interest Groups, and Advocacy in Practice—this volume explores the relationship between the formation of associations and democratic practice. Beginning with Madison’s federalist papers, the chapters explore why individuals have formed organizations, the most important reason being the desire to redress perceived inequalities, imbalances and injustices.
Audience
The guide is designed with a dual purpose; to provide a clear conceptual and historical foundation for those interested in the advocacy role of nonprofit organizations and to offer lessons learned from case studies for those actively involved in community advocacy.
Uses
The guide can best be used to examine historical and contemporary models of change from the work of community organizer, Saul Alinsky to the current practices of environment, economic and health‐related public interest groups.
The Wisdom of the Giveaway: A Guide to Native American Philanthropy (PROFESSIONAL)
First Nations Development Institute
Contributing authors Mindy Berry, Senior Consultant, Alford Group and Rebecca Adamson, Founder & President, First Nations Development Institute
64 pages
Description
This volume offers an overview of giving traditions, and the possible vehicles through which Native American communities share their assets. A joint effort of the Center and First Nations Development Institute, the guide is designed to enable Native and non‐Native individuals to learn more about the philanthropic traditions and cultures in Native communities.
Audience
Philanthropy has long played an important part of Native American society. This guide is of interest for those who wish to expand their understanding of Native communities; it is also designed for those who are directly engaged in developing the practice of giving within these communities in the context of a rapidly changing social and economic environment.
Uses
The first two units explore traditions of giving. The later four, which are of particular use for practitioners, analyze different aspects of giving and receiving gifts as well as contemporary vehicles for giving.
The Production of Philanthropy: A Case Study of the Imagery & Methodology of Jewish Fundraising
Egon Mayer
Former Professor of Sociology, Brooklyn College and Former Director, Center for Jewish Studies, The Graduate Center The City University of New York
Professional guide
52 pages
Description
This guide explores the role of emotions in philanthropic behavior and considers the conscious use of auditory and visual tools as emotional triggers in soliciting donations. Drawing on examples employed by American Jewish organizations, the guide analyzes the emotional structure of fundraising appeals.
Audience
t will be of particular use to fundraisers, special events coordinators, and creative staff in thinking about ways to craft an effective appeal, and will serve to bring into the open the discussion of the role of emotions in moving the target audience.
Uses
It is recommended that nonprofit professionals consider the salient issues relevant to their own communities or organizations, using the cases described in this volume as models for comparison, and as spring boards for developing appeals.
Philanthropy among Middle Eastern Americans and their Historical Traditions of Giving
Mehdi Bozorgmehr and Beth Baron, Contributing Editors
Co-directors, Middle East and Middle East American Center
Graduate School and University Center
The City University of New York
Undergraduate guide
84 pages
Description
This groundbreaking guide examines philanthropy among Middle Eastern Americans in order to assess the extent and nature of giving activities. It begins with the waves of immigration from the Middle East to the United States, including characteristics and adaptation of major groups. The guide next discusses the history of philanthropy in the Middle East to examine indigenous traditions that form the basis of giving patterns among Middle Eastern Americans. Finally, it includes an annotated list of major Middle Eastern philanthropic organizations active in the United States, categorized to the extent possible, by ethnicity and religion.
Audience
It will be of particular use to those seeking to understand the extent to which Middle Eastern Americans have begun to build up philanthropic organizations that address their needs in the U.S., the degree these organizations reflect the histories, migration process, and adaptation problems of immigrants, and the ways they differ from the traditional forms in their homelands.
Uses
The guide will help users in their efforts to categorize Middle Eastern Americans (and to understand the challenges inherent in classifying a group that is not considered a legal minority, despite being a sociological one), as well as to familiarize the user with Middle Eastern giving and charitable activities in the United States. The data provided may be used to facilitate dialogue between Arab Americans and other Americans in the post 9/11 world, provide models for new or additional charitable giving among Middle Eastern Americans, and provide information for those seeking to better understand the range of peoples, beliefs and practices of their neighbors from the “Middle East.”
