The role of philanthropy in times of crisis: Insights from the 2023 ERNOP Conference

The 2023 ERNOP Conference, held in Zagreb, brought together experts, scholars, and practitioners in philanthropy to discuss the fundamental role of philanthropy in times of crisis. Over two rich days, the conference shed light on the importance of philanthropy in building resilience of supported organisations and addressing societal challenges. Capturing the essence of such a fruitful exchange and the diversity of sessions is certainly not an easy task, so I deliberately took the decision to embrace innovation and asked ChatGPT to help me translating my eight pages of notes in an article with the aim to provide an overview of key findings. Here is the result:

1. Crisis and Philanthropy: Prof. Michael Meyer emphasized that the global crisis is the new normal. He highlighted the crucial role of NGOs in building resilience and the stabilizing effect of philanthropy on the economy and society. Crises present opportunities for scholars to study how individuals and organisations react and adapt. NGOs and philanthropy entities were seen as playing a crucial role in informing and bridging the gap between those in power and civic communities, even in shrinking democratic spaces.
2. Legal, Fiscal, and Regulatory Perspectives to Enhance Philanthropy: A few sessions discussed the challenges faced by non-profit organisations and philanthropic actors during times of crisis, like Ukraine and Hungary due to the martial law and shrinking civic space respectively. Restrictions on banking systems, lack of information and of awareness of tax incentives posed significant obstacles. The sessions recommended identifying solutions such as establishing comprehensive digital platforms, launching information campaigns, and developing specific accounting standards for non-profit organisations, as well as the need for those organisations to be aware of EU protection and legal systems that support and protect them.
3. The Changing Shape of Philanthropy: The evolving nature of philanthropy was explored, with a particular focus on corporate foundations, social enterprises, convergence of for-profits and nonprofits entities, and individual adherence to different institutional logics in impact investing. Contextual factor such as countries regulations and legal requirements as well as individual journey (biography, career goals, philanthropic and financial logics) have a direct impact on whatever are the business/financial or societal aspects that drive the engagement. The sessions aimed to inform policymakers on responding to the rise of new forms of philanthropy and preventing business logic from overshadowing philanthropic goals.
4. Community Philanthropy and Public Perception: Presentations focused on the impact of a sense of community on philanthropic and civic behaviours, and public perceptions of novel philanthropic actors like B Corps. While there is sometimes some mild skepticism regarding the underlying motives, these sessions emphasized the importance of community involvement, shared values, and trust in promoting philanthropy and civic engagement.
5. Government-Philanthropy Partnerships: The conference also explored partnerships between philanthropic organisations and governments. Examples from Israel demonstrated the positive outcomes of joint ventures during the COVID-19 crisis. Flexibility, risk tolerance, and mutual understanding were highlighted as key factors contributing to successful collaborations. However, challenges related to authority, influenceability, and the weight of foundation funding were also acknowledged.

Overall, the 2023 ERNOP Conference provided very valuable insights as far as the role of philanthropy, even more relevant in times of crisis. The discussions highlighted the need for philanthropic organisations to constantly evolve, innovate, collaborate, and address the current technical, legal, fiscal, and regulatory challenges, among others. These exchanges will undoubtedly contribute to identifying priorities and make strategic choices, as well as underlying the need of collaboration between scholars and practitioners in order to better impact today’s needs.

Mara De Monte is the Executive Director of the Geneva Centre for Philanthropy at the University of Geneva.