The amount of change that has already taken place in America’s philanthropic sector just since 1990 is mind-boggling. Taken together, these changes have transformed philanthropy in fundamental ways, most of them for the better. In Part One, I describe the components of that transformation and hope that I’ve made clear why each of them is making a significant contribution for the better.
In the first chapter of this section, I highlight the sharpening of discipline and focus among foundations—making them, on average, more strategic and ambitious, more intent on achieving clear impact, and more attuned to measurement, including benchmarks and indicators of progress. The second chapter deals with the new ways in which individual philanthropists, foundations, and corporations are operating, including their greater willingness to collaborate and the innovative uses of their wealth beyond pure grantmaking. Chapter 3 examines the newly developed infrastructure organizations that underlie and assist charitable giving, including such giving vehicles as donor-advised funds, the creation of numerous consulting firms to advise foundations and donors, and the impact of the Internet and social media in particular on philanthropy.