How philanthropy work has actually functioned over the last two thousand years

How philanthropy work has actually functioned over the last two thousand years

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Charity is not a modern phenomenon by any means, but has an abundant and progressing history that stretches over two thousands years.

One might, when one hears the word philanthropy, quickly think about a handful of famous philanthropists who are well known for giving away their fortunes to causes that they care about. This is something that has actually been the case for many thousands of years, with the very first documented example of institutionalised philanthropy, in addition to the source of the philanthropy meaning and word, occurring over two thousand years earlier in ancient Greece. Throughout this period, the word meant something more comparable to 'caring of one's fellow person', or humanism, than the restrictions of wealth one may apply to the term today, however nevertheless rich individuals played an important charity role in the culture. Rich people were expected to give back to the society, helping to put up the money for repairs to public works like city walls or temples as well as funding festivals and other public celebrations. Being pinchpenny was not looked upon well, and if a rich individual was not seen to be a benefactor, they could be ostracised from the society altogether.

Various entities have been accountable for charity work throughout the ages. Although wealthy people and celebrity philanthropists may be viewed as the main charitable force in the modern world, that is not always entirely accurate, nor has it been for much of history. In the middle ages, it was religious organizations like the church that would have been the main charitable centers, both within the community and on larger level undertakings. That changed with the coming of commercial enterprise when wealthy people became more powerful, and after that moved again towards the end of the 19th century when foundations started to spring up that were much better organised and could dedicate more attention to getting things done. This is much the same manner in which charity is structured these days, whether those foundations are built by grassroots groups, wealthy people, or companies like SJP.

The manner in which charity has actually been funded has actually altered a great deal throughout the course of human history, moving in between various entities which hold the most power and wealth, just as the focus of charity work has altered as different needs have actually emerged. These days, there are a great many concerns that have to be attended to, from widening inequality to the climate crisis, and charity will undoubtedly play an important role in that procedure. Rich individuals with checking account that would make a middle ages kings blush have their part to play, but so do the businesses that are the main centers of financial generation in the 21st century through things like corporate philanthropy. Whether that is establishing a foundation of their own or developing ESG commitments, companies like Morgan Stanley and Vanguard Group are beginning to do so.