"Look how my tongue whirls, almost like a knife. Remember that." - Dario Fo, The Birth of the Jongleur
Written in 1994 by The Philanthropic Initiative, these may still be the best 24 pages on promoting the field of philanthropy. Register to download. In 13 years the field has attracted many more consultants. Now, too, every financial firm teaches what Sean calls "tactical philanthropy," the tools and techniques of giving. Most non-profits now have a planned giving Board of Advisors, drawn from local professionals. The number of foundations and the dollars in donor advised funds have grown rapidly. Philanthropy has been democratized some, and the press is full of articles about giving. Yet, I still feel like a safe-cracker, turning the dial back and around, listening to a tumbler fall, then another, but still the door does not open.
H. Peter Karoff founded TPI. That he is a poet is the essential point. The sciences of giving have been passed on and promoted, but the arts of civics are hardly in the ascendancy. Giving and wealth transfer and the trillions passing fascinate all. More people have gotten better at getting a piece of it for their organization, or found ways to earn fees. But the spirit of the jongleur lives in Peter, and not many others, even to this day.
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