The faces of philanthropy - Essay Example

The faces of philanthropy A donor is a person, government or organization who gives something based on voluntary actions. In essence, the term represents a form of pure altruism albeit at times used when payment for services are recognizable by all partners as representing less than the value of a donation making the motivation altruistic. In most cases, a donor is one who gives while a donee is the person receiving. There are numerous types of donors including communication, devout, investor, and repayer.

Additionally, there are dynasts, socialites, and altruists. In this case, consideration will incline towards the socialites and altruists (Prince and File’s 1994). In perspective, Prince and File’s (1994, p.56) claim that socialite donors desire to assist others through active charity work. Besides, they depend on their families and close friends to help those in need. On the other hand, Prince and File’s (1994) assert that the altruists are those donors that extend their help out of empathy and generosity to causes described as urgent and modestly wish to be anonymous (p.16) Cognizant of the philanthropic donations, socialites exhibit extroverted and gregarious desire to help the people in need through charity works.

As depicted, they utilize the presence of families and close friends to extend their aid (Gautier & Pache, 2015, p.344). Principally, socialites find functions rooted in social work and those that are nonprofit to be an appealing way to help and ensure a better world. In this category, most of the donors are women having college degrees and tend to offer support to nonprofit activities with opportunities for socializing such as education, religion, and arts. What makes these individuals socialite donors is the fact that they emphasize on other givers and their priorities (Muller, Pfarrer & Little, 2014, p.3). They have an emphasis on shared causes as a part of a group.

Further, they are distinct to their records and reputation for positive consequences. They also highlight and mention events related to the particular projects or cause, and also use their emotional appeals to lure people into being social donors (Faces of Philanthropy, 2013). For example, William S. Dietrich II left $500 million to his foundation (the Dietrich Foundation) that is to benefit various nonprofits, universities, and colleges in Western Pennsylvania. Altruists, on the other hand, embody the perception of selfless donors.

Those that give due to philanthropic impulses grounded in generosity and empathy. Nonetheless, they have a wish to remain anonymous. Being an altruistic donor, one uses his or her emotional focus and language on the moral imperatives concerning the gifts given. They believe that giving is a pure moral imperative that responds to an emotional language (Turner, 2013, p.19). However, they consider character and organization of the project as opposed to extensive records. These donors applaud and acknowledge the motive entailed in giving as compared to the ego behind giving.

Furthermore, they utilize a less-formal language that is personal. Turner (2013, p.21) notes that these donors have foci on self-actualization, sense of purpose, and self-fulfillment. For instance, Harry Kiernan donated organs to people to save their lives, precisely, he donated his left kidney and a portion of the liver to strangers. Pertinent to philanthropic donations, it is evident that socialites and altruists give voluntarily and selflessly. The socialites emphasize on records and reputation of the impact while the altruists recognize the motivation behind giving.

However, it is crucial to give to the persons in need in the attempt to realize a balanced community. References Faces of Philanthropy. (2013). Orange County Business Journal, A-10. Gautier, A., & Pache, A. (2015). “Research on Corporate Philanthropy: A Review and Assessment.” Journal of Business Ethics, 126(3), 343-369. doi:10.1007/s10551-013-1969-7 Muller, A. R., Pfarrer, M. D., & Little, L. M. (2014). “A Theory of Collective Empathy In Corporate Philanthropy Decisions.

” Academy Of Management Review, 39(1), 1-21. doi:10.5465/amr.2012.0031 Prince and File’s. (1994). Chapter 2: Individual Donor Motivations: Types of Donors Turner, V. (2013). “A solicitor's perspective on charitable gifts in wills.” International Journal of Nonprofit & Voluntary Sector Marketing, 18(1), 18-23. doi:10.1002/nvsm.1462