Private Donations for International Development

Abstract

Charitable donations by private individuals and firms can help fund the Millennium Development Goals. What are the prospects for increasing donations for international development, whether from small-scale donors, the super-rich (as in the recent gifts by Bill Gates and Ted Turner), or the corporate sector? The paper starts by reviewing how large are the sums currently given in OECD countries (including gifts of time) and the problems development has in competing with domestic causes. It then looks at possibilities for the future, including tax deductions, the new 'global funds', corporate social responsibility and 'cause-related marketing', the use of the Internet, and longterm donor education.

Are Donor Countries Giving More or Less Aid?

“…Only a small share of private American philanthropy goes to international charities (Micklewright and Wright, 2005). In contrast, about three-fourths of total German donations to the top 16 charities went to development charities, while in the United Kingdom the share of development assistance in total charity contributions was about one-fourth, and, in the Netherlands, it was about 15 percent.…”

Travel philanthropy and sustainable development: the case of the Plymouth–Banjul Challenge

“…Simply addressing the symptoms of poverty and underdevelopment, rather than proactively confronting their root causes, has turned traditional philanthropy into an unsustainable form of superficial charitable assistance, unable to deliver meaningful social change or to produce long-term results (Desai & Kharas, 2008;Frumkin, 2000Frumkin, , 2006. Indeed, commentators question the motives of many modern philanthropists and argue that charitable gift-giving and volunteering has become a palliative for the Western liberal conscience and a way for individual and corporate philanthropists to 'buy' redemption in the form of psychological reward; that the 'feel good factor' and enhanced self-image associated with giving outweighs altruism (Bailin 2003;Bekkers & Wiepking, 2011;Lyons & Wearing, 2008;Mahrouse, 2011;Micklewright & Schnepf, 2009;Micklewright & Wright, 2005;Seglow, 2004).…”

Aid, restitution and international fiscal redistribution in health care: implications of health professionals' migration

“…Support from the UK for health services in Sub-Saharan Africa shifts in political and moral terms from charity to duty: from a conditional gesture of good will to a fulfilment of international obligations. The UK political debate has generated evidence of public solidarity with African health needs, and African health crises are a consistent focus of private giving (Micklewright and Wright, 2005).…”