Have you noticed changes among your clients’ preoccupations over the last year?
What I see is a greater focus on what they’re doing, which is very encouraging. A group of younger donors are really deciding they’re going to mobilize their funds and work together to address certain issues. They are realizing they need to be more strategic, to pool funds and work together – and that is beginning to happen. I work a lot in environment philanthropy – there’s been a bit of a migration away from culture into the environment. These people feel they have a real mission to reach out and bring in new donors. They were doing this before, but I think the crisis has shaken up the sector in some ways. People are really feeling they can solve problems, it’s a new mentality. People who’ve been in it for years are beginning to bring along others. Yes, foundation endowments have diminished, but it isn’t a depressing picture. I think people’s attitude is to fight back and to show they have a responsibility and can change things still.