Ways in which philanthropy work has worked over the last 2 millennia

Ways in which philanthropy work has worked over the last 2 millennia

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Keep reading to find the manner ins which philanthropy has evolved over the last number of centuries, from who gives and how the work is done.

One might, when one hears the word philanthropy, quickly think about a handful of famous philanthropists who are well known for handing out their fortunes to causes that they care about. This is something that has actually held true for lots of thousands of years, with the first chronicled example of institutionalised philanthropy, as well as the origin of the philanthropy meaning and word, taking place over 2 thousand years ago in ancient Greece. During this duration, the word indicated something more similar to 'loving of one's fellow human', or humanism, than the limitations of wealth one might apply to the term nowadays, however nevertheless rich people played an important charity role in the culture. Rich people were anticipated to give back to the community, assisting to put up the money for repairs to public works like city walls or temples along with financing festivals and other public events. Being stingy was not regarded well, and if a wealthy individual was not seen to be a philanthropist, they could be ostracised from the society entirely.

Several entities have been responsible for charity work throughout the ages. Although wealthy people and celebrity philanthropists might be viewed as the main charitable force in the modern world, that is not always entirely correct, 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 began to spring up that were much better organised and could commit more attention to getting things done. This is much the same way that charity is structured now, whether those foundations are developed by grassroots groups, rich individuals, or businesses like SJP.

The way that charity has been financed has changed a lot throughout the course of human history, moving between various entities which hold the most power and wealth, just as the focus of charity work has changed as various needs have actually emerged. Nowadays, there are a great many issues that need to be resolved, from increasing inequality to the environment crisis, and charity will undoubtedly play an important part in that procedure. Wealthy individuals with savings 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 twenty-first century through things like corporate philanthropy. Whether that is establishing a foundation of their own or developing ESG dedications, companies like Morgan Stanley and Vanguard Group are starting to do so.