New philanthropy has seen an unprecedented rise in interest in the past few years, driven by the realisation of the role that each can play in building a fairer world for today and a more sustainable one for tomorrow.

With the desire to give comes a new set of aspirations: the requirement to know where donations are going, the will to make a significant change, as well as the desire to get involved personally.

But what if philanthropy could be about giving a part of oneself to another's life and to the world? About getting involved in great causes but also helping the community? Sharing knowledge and passions in the humanitarian domain, and making an impact in cultural and environmental spheres?

 

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European point of view …

The United States has for many years been a great exponent of the philanthropy movement. Wealthy American citizens have no qualms about publicising their acts of generosity, which makes it easy for the press to publish quite accurate lists of the top givers.

Europe isn’t going to be outdone. Major names in the European industrial world and private individuals have engaged in philanthropic activities and the number of foundations has grown. In Europe, people don’t talk about it so much: as a result, less is known about the situation than in America. It’s just a difference of approach…

Although charitable giving has been an integral part of European society for centuries, the development of (contemporary) legal systems since the 18th century has influenced the emergence of different approaches to the roles, responsibilities and financing of the “third sector”, which has in turn shaped the relationship of European society to charitable giving:

• The Netherlands, Switzerland and Scandinavia (where the corporate approach is prevalent), and the United Kingdom and Ireland (characterised by economic liberalism) view private initiatives as a desirable complement to government action.
  
• Luxembourg and some other European countries, whose legal system is based on the Napoleonic code, tend to consider social action as the responsibility of the state. In these countries, citizens and companies may contribute through state structures, or failing that, the church.

However, since the 1980s, this situation has changed considerably in many European countries. For example, in Spain, 4,000 foundations have been set up since 1995 (56% increase). In France, corporate charitable giving tripled in volume between 2003 and 2005 to 1 billion euros per annum. Alongside this trend, France, Germany, the UK and the Netherlands have experienced significant growth in the not-for-profit sector, with a 30% increase in employment between 1990 and 1995, a trend that has since gathered pace.

The increase and concentration of wealth indicates that this trend is set to continue: Forbes magazine estimated that there were 170 dollar billionaires established in Europe in 2007. An unprecedented portion of these fortunes will be handed over through inheritance over the coming years. The Conservation Company believes that 250 billion euros will be passed on in Germany to another generation between 2001 and 2010.