"Catalytic Philanthropy" by Mark Kramer (Post #1)

This week I’ll be reviewing an article from the Fall 2009 issue of the Stanford Social Innovation Review by Mark R. Kramer entitled “Catalytic Philanthropy.” It is an inspiring look at donor commitment to a cause and the difference this can make. This is the FIRST in a series of posts.

All philanthropists want their giving to have real impact. But according to Mark Kramer, it takes more than simply making a donation, however substantial, to a nonprofit. A lot more.

A recent article entitled “Catalytic Philanthropy” by Mark Kramer in the Fall 2009 issue of the Stanford Social Innovation Review provides an optimum model for engineering social change with donor engagement, persistence and philanthropy.

Kramer believes that most philanthropists only achieve “modest and often indiscernible results, whether individually or collectively.” While acknowledging social conditions would be worse without philanthropy, he argues that today’s conventional philanthropy rarely delivers true social impact and systemic change. Most donors give only money, delegating the work, service provision, and ultimate problem solving to the nonprofit. Kramer states, however, that there is little reason to assume that the nonprofits have the internal skill set and bandwidth to solve such huge societal problems.

Tony Roberts once said, “If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always got.” To make a real impact, something in philanthropy has to change. And that, according to Kramer, is the actual behavior of donors. Picking great nonprofits to financially support is just not enough, because that leaves the entire responsibility for improving conditions solely with the nonprofits.

What Kramer is really pushing on is this: Who takes responsibility for the issue?