Stanford Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society (Stanford PACS)

Thank you to everyone who joined us last week for our conversation and book signing with esteemed scholar Marshall Ganz! Ganz shared insights and inspiration from his new book, "People, Power, Change," in a lively and action-oriented conversation with Tomás Jiménez, Professor of Sociology and Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity and the founding co-director of Stanford's Institute for Advancing Just Societies. We were also pleased to include student introductions from: ? Zoe Tweedie, a Stanford University senior studying economics and public policy, President of the Stanford ACLU, and a current Leadership, Organization and Action Fellow; and ? June Choi, fourth year PhD candidate at the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability, a founding member of the Coalition for a True School of Sustainability, and part of the first cohort of the Leadership, Organization and Action Fellowship. Thank you again to our co-hosts: Cyber Policy Center (Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies & Stanford Law School), Stanford Democracy Hub, Haas Center For Public Service, and the Office for Religious & Spiritual Life. And thank you to our marketing partners, Stanford in Government and the Coalition for a True School of Sustainability. Learn more about "People, Power, Change": https://lnkd.in/ezBVzGTn Stay tuned for more public events in the new year, and be sure to join our ongoing Technology, Culture, and Power Speaker Series, with our next talk coming up on December 5:?https://lnkd.in/gzhBqNT4

I look forward to hosting Seeta Pe?a Gangadharan at the Technology, Culture, & Power Series at Stanford University in a few weeks. Join us and register below!

Who benefits from community-oriented tech research or research into lived experience of people with technology? On December 5, Dr. Seeta Pe?a Gangadharan of The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) will join us to explore the critical distinction between fair and equal participation in community-oriented technology research. Register: https://bit.ly/3ZgbDYw

Many thanks and much gratitude to Vera Michalchik, Ruth Selby, and Andi Kang, CFP ?, CAP?, BFA??for leading a session at last week’s @AiP conference highlighting the work AiP (International Association of Advisors in Philanthropy) and Stanford Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society (Stanford PACS) has been doing together.?Over the past 5 years or so I have had a leadership role in working with these teams to build and deliver a 2-day intensive workshop sharing some core concepts and tools based on the work being done through the PACS Effective Philanthropy Learning Initiative (EPLI).?The big idea is to equip advisors to lead their client on a philanthropic journey that honors their values and helps them derive more joy from their giving. The conference session introduced participants to some of the core principles of effective philanthropy while providing an interactive taste of the more in-depth experience that the full AiP/Stanford workshop offers.?The topics included in the comprehensive workshop include: - Finding your focus as a donor - Involving family members in a philanthropic giving conversation - Choosing giving vehicles - Finding and vetting organizations - Making and tracking gifts We’ll be holding three workshops during 2025, starting with the first on February 20th and 21st.?Click here for more info: https://lnkd.in/ergPuUMQ

I’m excited to share my new essay—“Philanthropy by the Numbers: Measurable Impact and its Civic Discontents”—published in the latest issue of The Hedgehog Review (from the Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture) The essay tells the story of how, over the past 30 years, mega-rich funders and philanthropy professionals—steeped in managerialism and hell-bent on data-driven beneficence—recast civil society as objective, pragmatic, and above the fray of politics. Tracing the cultural and organizational history of measurable impact, I argue that the more we come to see civic life in terms of quantitative abstraction and cold calculation, the more difficult it becomes to imagine alternative forms of meaningful social progress. As I put it in the piece: The familiar adage that “what gets measured gets managed” rings true. But when measurement consumes our civic imagination, everything that can’t be measured—the relationships and collective experiences that uphold democracy—is liable to wither. See the piece at THR’s website and check out the other fantastic contributions to this issue—fittingly titled for our present moment—“In Need of Repair.” And thanks to Al Cantor, Claire Dunning, Geof Bowker, Jay Tolson, John Summers, Leah Hunt-Hendrix, Micah McElroy, Pamala Wiepking, Stan Katz, and Taylor Stephens for helpful feedback. (And please reach out if you’re interested in these topics. There’s more to come ::coughbookcough:: along with efforts to develop alternative paradigms that reclaim philanthropy as a tool for building civic infrastructure and fostering democracy.)

What can business do to protect democracy? Explore key findings and recommendations for business leaders via a new brief from the Rebalance research team, authored by our Global Innovation for Impact Lab Co-Director Johanna Mair and Sébastien Mena of the?Hertie School. The brief draws on the September 2024 roundtable, “Business and the Future of Democracy," which brought together corporate leaders, entrepreneurs, policymakers, and academics to discuss practices for strengthening democracy within and outside of businesses in Europe and beyond. Rebalance is a collaboration between seven European universities and an international NGO aiming to provide new evidence, resources, and insights to help rebalance democracy and capitalism. Read the brief:?https://lnkd.in/g86UFfvy #Rebalance #Democracy #Business

"Through understanding philanthropy’s complete landscape—from its bedrock values to its highest aspirations—participants can move forward with increased confidence and conviction, ready to address the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead." For #NationalPhilanthropyDay, Vera Michalchik, Micah McElroy, and Ruth Selby shared highlights from our field-leading Education for Philanthropy Professionals program, featuring insights from the many expert practitioners and scholars who lead the course. Take the tour, and mark your calendars to join us in April 2025: https://lnkd.in/gN_YF8Dr

The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (SEP) is one of the few resources I use on a daily basis. It's an open-access resource run out of Stanford University and provides authoritative overviews of 1,800+ topics of philosophical debate. I've always had the greatest admiration for authors tapped to contribute to this project. Today I'm deeply honored to join them. I'm thrilled to share that a new entry on "philanthropy," written with Emma Saunders-Hastings and Rob Reich, is now published in the SEP. Emma, Rob, and I have each published recent books on the ethics and politics of philanthropy. Joining minds for this project was the culmination of many years of debate and collaboration among us, supported in several instances by Stanford Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society (Stanford PACS). We hope the entry provides a useful starting point for scholars, practitioners, and anyone interested in the many philosophical questions raised by this topic. One of the unique virtues of the SEP is that authors are expected to periodically update their entries in response to criticism and changes in the field. We look forward to your reactions! https://lnkd.in/gVPZQ4GS Covering work by Peter Singer, William MacAskill, Miranda Perry Fleischer, Iason Gabriel, Johanna Mair, Santiago Mejia, Amy Schiller, Marty Sulek, Justin Weinberg, Theron Pummer, Christian Tarsney, Robert Taylor, Toby Ord, Leif Wenar, and many others from past and present alike. #philanthropy #philosophy #publication #research #ethics

Join us tomorrow, November 13, for our conversation and book signing with distinguished scholar Marshall Ganz, one of the world's leading authorities on democratic organizing. Ganz will share insights from his new book, "People, Power, Change: Organizing for Democratic Renewal," in conversation with Tomás Jiménez, Professor of Sociology and Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity and the founding co-director of Stanford's Institute for Advancing Just Societies. Hosted in partnership with the Cyber Policy Center (Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies & Stanford Law School), Haas Center For Public Service, Stanford Democracy Hub, and the Office for Religious & Spiritual Life. Learn more and RSVP to join us at Stanford University: https://bit.ly/4etNrq2

What are the keys to fostering collective action for lasting change? Join us on November 13 for a conversation and book signing with Marshall Ganz, one of the world's leading authorities on democratic organizing. Ganz will share insights from his new book—People, Power, Change: Organizing for Democratic Renewal—in conversation with Tomás R. Jiménez, Professor of Sociology and Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity and the founding co-director of Stanford's Institute for Advancing Just Societies. This event is co-sponsored by Stanford Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society (Stanford PACS), Stanford Democracy Hub, Stanford Cyber Policy Center, Stanford Office for Religious & Spiritual Life, and the Haas Center for Public Service. RSVP: https://lnkd.in/guGEzQYx