Givers, Doers, & Thinkers—A Podcast on Philanthropy and Civil Society

Episode 28: Michael E. Hartmann & philanthropy's biggest problems

December 01, 2021 Jeremy Beer Season 3 Episode 8
Givers, Doers, & Thinkers—A Podcast on Philanthropy and Civil Society
Episode 28: Michael E. Hartmann & philanthropy's biggest problems
Show Notes

Today on Givers, Doers, & Thinkers, Jeremy speaks with Michael E. Hartmann about what he sees as the major problems in the philanthropy sector today, and about the ideas that are being put forth to address those problems.

The Giving Review co-editor Michael E. Hartmann is a Senior Fellow and Director of the Center for Strategic Giving at the Capital Research Center (CRC) in Washington, D.C. He also curates RealClearPolicy’s “Philanthropy and Giving” section. For almost 20 years, Mike served in various roles on the program staff of The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation in Milwaukee, including as its Director of Research. Mike is a past Visiting Fellow of the Philanthropy Roundtable in Washington, D.C., for which he researched and wrote Helping People to Help Themselves: A Guide for Donors. He is co-author of CRC’s The Flow of Funding to Conservative and Liberal Political Campaigns, Independent Groups, and Traditional Public Policy Organizations Before and After Citizens United, hailed as “an unprecedented study” by RealClearPolicy.

To start the conversation, Mike shares lessons from his time at the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation and how philanthropy works well and other dynamics effecting major philanthropic institutions. They cover the concerns around wealth disparities and donor diversity in philanthropy. And lastly, Mike  turns to the populist critiques of establishment philanthropy, and talk about “Accelerating Charitable Efforts Act” introduced by Senators Chuck Grassley and Angus King. 

You'll also hear from Cecilia Diem, a managing consultant at American Philanthropic. She has written various articles on major gifts fundraising like how to avoid bombing a donor meeting or the importance of emailing your donors. Well, today Cecilia shares her five insights to a successful donor meeting.

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