Giving Circles Philanthropy, Voluntary Association, and Democracy [Paperback]

In the contemporary United States, third parties are being relied upon to deliver social services that were once chiefly the responsibility of government. Among the new philanthropic associations that have arisen in this environment are voluntary groups known as giving circles. Their purpose is to bring people together to pool resources and then collectively decide how to distribute them. Giving circles have been seen as the most democratic of philanthropic mechanisms, working to meet social needs and solve community problems, while enhancing the civic education and participation of their members. Angela M. Eikenberry examines this new phenomenon and considers what role voluntary associations and philanthropy can or should play in a democratic society.

This is an ambitious and readable account of the appropriate role for voluntary action in modern societies, and poses an important argument that as philanthropy is primarily designed to meet the needs of donors rather than recipients, there is an essential ongoing role for government in meeting basic social welfare needs.Issue 38, Sept. 2009Giving circles are inherently interesting voluntary associations and the description of how they operate makes fascinating reading.

Preface
Acknowledgments
Introduction. Giving Circles and Democratic Governance
1. Democracy, Voluntary Association, and Philanthropy
2. The Modernization and Marketization of Voluntarism
3. Societal Changes and the New Shape of Voluntarism
Part II. Giving Circles
4. The Giving Circle Landscape
5. The Democratic Effects of Giving Circles
6. The Limits of Voluntarism in Governing Beyond the State
Appendix. Research Methodology
Bibliography
Notes
Index

Angela M. Eikenberry is Assistant Professor in the School of Public Administration at the University of Nebraska, Omaha. She has worked as a development consultant and is a member of a giving circle.

Winner, Grenzebach AwardBy illuminating small philanló¿