Venture
Philanthropy
Guide.org

Natasha van Bentum, CFRE

• Introduction
  
  
• What
  
  
• Why
  
  
• VP Organizations
          &
  
• Social Entrepreneurs
  
  
• Gift Planning
  
  
• Articles
  
  
• Other Resources
  
  
• Contact Us

Introduction

VenturePhilanthopyGuide.org is a navigational map which charts the Who, What, Why, When and Where to the world of venture philanthropy.

A web search for "venture philanthropy" results in thousands of returns. The aim of this site is to provide an easily navigable map of the sometimes uncharted and confusing landscape of venture philanthropy, strategic philanthropy and, in part, its close ally social entrepreneurship. Hopefully, along the way of our journey we can help to build a bridge between the two worlds of traditional and venture philanthropy.

Media Hype

"Both traditional and emerging ways of giving have something to offer," says Tom Reis, Program Director at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and author of "Unleashing New Resources and Entrepreneurship for the Common Good." "The dichotomy between "old" and "new" philanthropy is at least partly the result of media hype surrounding venture philanthropy."

The twist behind the media hype tends to be "out with the old" and "in with the new," naturally raising the hackles of many from the traditional nonprofit world.

Critics

Unfortunately the side result of this reaction has been a tendency to foster skeptics who dismiss venture philanthropy as a passing fad or even "misguided hubris."

Other critics say concepts which work well in the business world don't always translate seamlessly into the nonprofit sector.

Proponents of venture philanthropy enjoy a position of stirring up and challenging the traditional and established world of philanthropy. Thomas Billitteri, writing "Venturing a Bet on Giving" in the Chronicle of Philanthropy says "many advocates promote venture philanthropy as an antidote to what they see as the failings of mainstream philanthropy."

No Time to Waste

Given the state of our society, there's no more time to waste taking hard line positions about old or new practice. Change is happening. As Tom Reis of W.K. Kellogg Foundation says, "There are program directors at traditional foundations practicing venture philanthropy via their own portfolios, they just don't get the attention and hype."

For Fundraising Practitioners

Venture philanthropy may still be an experiment but there can be no doubt it is a sit-up-and-take notice phenomenon which no professional fundraiser can afford to ignore. For professional fundraisers caught in the midst of this "sea-change," hopefully VenturePhilanthropyGuide.org will serve as a map to explore the world of venture philanthropy, and its partner social entrepreneurship.

Venture philanthropy reflects the spirit of our times, or zeitgeist. It offers a viable edge to those practicing the art and science of fundraising.

Let's take a tour of this brave new world which requires us to question existing practices. We welcome your feedback. Please send an e-mail with your comments and suggestions. I would like to thank Maggie Leithead of CharityVillage for providing the vehicle to launch this guide to venture philanthropy.

Natasha van Bentum, CFRE is a professional fundraising campaigner, based in Canada. She is director of development for Carbon Neutral Canada, a new, national climate change initiative. VenturePhilanthropyGuide.org  is the second in her series of practical guides for fundraising practitioners, following on the success of SeniorsInCyberspace.org. Her most recent website explores the world of legacies and charitable bequests http://BequestGuide.org.