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Giving for the Right Reasons

February 26th, 2024 by Kenneth Abrahams

It is hard to believe that after being married to a fundraiser for more than 35 years, having a son who is also a fundraising professional, and a mother who was a frequent contributor to charitable causes regardless of her own financial well-being, I never looked up the definition of philanthropy. According to the Miriam Webster Dictionary it is:

1. Goodwill to fellow members of the human race, especially active effort to promote human welfare.
2. A. an act or gift done or made for humanitarian purposes.

B. an organization distributing or supported by funds set aside for humanitarian purposes.

Ever since October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched an attack on Israel, philanthropy and philanthropists have been a consistent media presence. Harvard University got the first of the ink as donors, unhappy with the schools’ response to a statement made by several students and student groups blaming Israel for the attack, pulled their support of the institution. They may have been the first university impacted but they certainly weren’t the last. It is continuing today. More and more of these individuals are questioning not only how the institutions are using their money but what and how they are teaching the current students of today. Recently, Kenneth Griffin, a billionaire who made much of his money through a hedge fund, has said that until Harvard gets back to educating leaders and problem solvers, he is done giving them money. He made it clear that he is unhappy with the universities coddling of the current whiny snowflake generation.

As I said, he is not the first or the last that is beginning to set conditions on if/when they will give money, if they choose to give money at all. Along with that, there are a number of these millionaires and billionaires that are looking for more public recognition for the donations they are making. Some are asking for videos or notes of thanks from the people they help. Others want to be acknowledged in the media. As has been the case for years, many of these donors expect “a seat at the table” in the form of an offer to join the board or become a trustee of the organization or university that they have contributed to. As I said that practice has been going on for years. Truthfully, it makes a lot of sense if you are one of those organizations. Of course, you want to keep a major donor both happy and engaged.

This new chapter where donors not only expect recognition but believe they can make demands about who the leadership running these entities are and how they conduct themselves, is very foreign to me. What happened to people giving because it improved the lives of their fellow humans? Is that not the root of charity and philanthropy; to give to those less fortunate than you and to help solve the medical, social, environmental, or economic challenges that the world is facing? When did it become a financial stick, a tool, if you will, to be used to impose ones will?

For some, the economic pressure brought to bear on Harvard, and its then President Claudine Gay forcing her to resign, was viewed as a victory. Perhaps she was not the person to lead but, in my opinion, that should have happened more organically. Not as a result of donors forcing her out by withdrawing their financial support. Some will say that Harvard has more money than they know what to do with, and that the support they have lost will not truly impact the university or many of its programs. For me, the issue is that this is not what true philanthropy looks like. It is more than a bit disappointing.

Imagine donations being made to a research hospital or a homeless shelter with a string of conditions attached to it. Yes, I am aware that donors, including myself, can and do earmark donations for specific projects, departments, buildings, and in some cases to endow an academic chair. Those are given within the framework of the organization as well as the fundraising structure. To demand changes to the leadership or overall educational policies in order to receive or keep money is not really in the spirit of helping the organization the donations have been made to or will potentially be made to.

Over the years, I have heard about and seen the power of charitable donations. Drew Brees, the former NFL quarterback for the New Orleans Saints, gave the City of New Orleans a 5-million-dollar donation to help fight Covid-19. To the best of my knowledge, it was an unrestricted gift allowing the city to use the money where it was needed. At no point do I believe he asked for or expected the accolades he received. He saw the need, had the resources, and stepped in to help as best he could. MacKenzie Scott, ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, has given away billions of dollars, often to Historically Black Colleges and Universities, as well as Hispanic and Native American serving organizations. Her donations have been life changing, allowing some of these organizations to not only survive but to grow. As far as I know she has made these gifts with no strings attached or any expectation of recognition or a “seat at the table”. As a philanthropist she “gets it”.

We have all heard the stories of kids who set up lemonade stands to raise money for charity or save their allowances to help those less fortunate. What they raise and contribute is done from the heart with the understanding that it betters the lives of others. Danny Thomas was a great entertainer, but he is far better known as the founder and builder of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. It is not called Thomas Memorial or the Danny Thomas Hospital although many people are aware of his role in it. At age 86, his daughter Marlo is still active in raising both money and awareness for the hospital. What a wonderful legacy to leave behind.

Those that give money with strings attached or take it away when they perceive that things are not being done “properly,” just don’t really understand the true meaning of philanthropy. True charity and acts of kindness should be done in the spirit of helping their fellow man. Just the act of giving should be reward enough. It is, after all, charity and not leverage. Hopefully, we will see a return to giving for the joy of helping others.

About the author

Ken Abrahams is the son of someone who truly understood the joy and the benefit of giving. One of the ways that his family discovered that his mom was in the early stages of Alzheimer’s is that she was giving to organizations multiple times in the same month. When it was pointed out to her by one of her children, who encouraged her to contact the organizations to try and recoup some of what was donated, she refused saying they needed it more than she did. You know something, she was probably right.

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