What is philanthropy?

When asked who a philanthropist is, most people will name high-net-worth individuals such as Bill and Melinda Gates, Strive Masiyiwa, Aliko Dangote, Patrice Motsepe, Mackenzie Scott or Mo Ibrahim. Often the term philanthropy is associated with the giving of large amounts of money. This is certainly one part of it, but we want to explore the term at a more rudimentary level.

What are some other words that you would use to describe philanthropy either in English, or in your local language? (Join our Mentimeter to see the display below: https://www.menti.com/alk9t4udz3ox)

When we asked the same question of leaders of community foundations in Zimbabwe, we received the following list:

Philanthropy is the desire to promote the welfare of others, often expressed through the generous donation of money to good causes. The term comes from the Greek word “philanthrōpia,” which means “man-loving” or “kindness to mankind.”

When you take these words together, we see that philanthropy has the potential to mean so much more. It is not limited to large (“subjective in itself”) amounts of money but should celebrate the generosity of any individual who seeks the welfare of another. It is definitely an act of giving, but also recognises the part it plays in making a positive impact on society. This includes donating money, volunteering time and skills to help those in need, as well as the establishment of philanthropy organisations.

As the community foundation leaders reflected on the list that they generated to describe philanthropy, one leader expressed that he sees Zimbabweans as philanthropy actors.

“Relating to the words that I’m reading there, for me, I think Zimbabwe strongly comes to my mind. We have seen a lot of charity work in different communities. We have seen a lot of good Samaritans in our communities. And also, I think Zimbabweans are kind people”

We have seen communities rally behind each other to meet the needs of others. We can think of citizen response to natural disasters such as Cyclone Idai, community foundations such as Tariro Foundation establishing a sewing project to fund programmes to support persons with disabilities in Mutare, to all the way to a young girl who decided to share her plate of food with a neighbour who had nothing to eat. Caring for others is part of our culture, but do we see these small acts as philanthropy? We should. Philanthropy is not only reserved for the rich. It is something that we can all do. So think about it…

• What do you have to give?
• Who in your community can benefit from your gift?
• Who can you tell and encourage to take up the title of a philanthropist.

We are the good samaritans within and beyond our communities.