What is Philanthropy? What is a Philanthropist?
At iSquared Giving, we understand philanthropy in its general sense, not as something exclusive to renowned philanthropists.
According to Wikipedia, the word philanthropy stems from the Ancient Greek philanthrōpía (“love of humanity”), derived from philo- (“to love”) and anthrōpos (“humankind”). Other sources note that the Greek playwright Aeschylus coined the term in the 5th century BCE (Fidelity Charitable; Keweenaw Community Foundation, 2023).
Rooted in this origin, a philanthropist is simply one who acts out of love for humankind (NEH, 2015). By this standard, anyone can be a philanthropist. Author George McCully argues that the mythological figure Prometheus was the first philanthropist for gifting humans fire and optimism (NEH, 2015).
Today, philanthropy is primarily understood as generosity in the form of money, time, and effort used to benefit society, and it spans from large corporations to private individuals (Keweenaw Community Foundation, 2023). One does not need millions of dollars to be a philanthropist; ultimately, a philanthropist is anyone who donates their time, treasure, experience, or talent to better the world—meaning anyone can embrace this role, regardless of status or net worth (Fidelity Charitable).
Sources
Fidelity Charitable.( n.d.). What is a philanthropist? https://www.fidelitycharitable.org/guidance/philanthropy/what-is-a-philanthropist.html
Keweenaw Community Foundation (2023). What is Philanthropy?https://www.keweenawcommunityfoundation.org/news/what-is-philanthropy#:~:text=In%20the%205th%20century%20BCE,much%20more%20than%20just%20donations.
National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). (2015). Philanthropy. https://www.neh.gov/divisions/fedstate/resource/philanthropy#:~:text=May%207%2C%202015,character%2C%20steals%20fire%20from%20Mt.
Wikipedia (n.d.). Philanthropy. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philanthropy