Philanthropy 3.0

Calgary, Alberta - April 28, 2010  - This Thursday, a group of Calgarians will be exploring the possibilities of what the future of humanity may look like. Humanity 3.0 is the theme at Tedx Calgary and Gena Rotstein is one of 14 speakers slated to speak at the event. Rotstein, a philanthropic expert will be speaking about a new model for how society can operate between the spheres of the charitable, private and public sectors.

Adaptive philanthropy or in terms of this event Philanthropy 3.0, is a new way of looking at an old problem. "We have created a system where charities, year after year, are forced to put their hands out and ask, ‘Please sir, can I have some more?' and year after year costs go up, donor fatigue increases and the charitable sector grows in size because people feel that they can do things better, faster, different, more effectively," said Rotstein. "These social dynamics and operational constructs conflict with each other; putting strains on leadership, financial support and accessibility.  It also makes it difficult for those who invest in the resources to speak a common language with those who use the resources" explains Rotstein.

Currently Canada is experiencing the beginning stages of an inter-generational wealth transfer of - an anticipated $8T entering back into the marketplace until 2050. These funds can go to one of three places - the inheritor, back into society in the shape of new businesses or charities (funded or started), or taxes.  "How we manage that transfer is what is going to define our social system for the next few generations.  We need to start thinking ahead of the curve, significantly ahead of the curve" said Rotstein.

The charitable sector was built on income tax laws, established by Queen Elizabeth the First in the early 1600's.  After all this time the laws have changed slightly, but the charitable sector has changed immensely. At one point the act of philanthropy was primarily driven by the church and religious based organizations, but with time things have changed. Now service delivery is no longer limited to religious organizations.  In fact, Canada's charitable sector is made up of 161,000 non-profit and charitable organizations ranging in size and scope from 100% volunteer driven to large scale-staff driven operations.

The way our social systems are currently set-up is changing rapidly.  Opportunities for micro-volunteering are changing the way that previous generations of volunteers donate time and social entrepreneurs are increasingly challenging the space that lies between being a business and being a charity. They are putting society at the core of their business operations and are not apologizing for making a living and a profit at it. 

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