Many people wonder what is a philanthropist? In simple terms, according to the English dictionary, philanthropy is an action that has a goal for humanity. Often we see famous figures who promote and strive for human welfare, who are then called philanthropists.
A philanthropist doesn't just make donations, but sees opportunities and directs contributions effectively with clear goals.
For those of you who are curious about what a philanthropist is, in terms of meaning, character, form, examples, reasons and how to become a philanthropist, let's look at the review below.
1. What is a Philanthropist?
A philanthropist is someone who provides free funding, time and other support resources for a group or organization. The philanthropist has a role in organizations or groups as a companion.
Usually, non-profit organizations have a philanthropist figure who always provides great assistance as well as being a companion to the organization.
The figure of a philanthropist is also often associated with someone who has a lot of wealth, but this is not always the case. The thing is, it's not just money that can be given, but time, energy and other resources.
Apart from that, the way philanthropists work is different, because their goal is to improve the welfare of many people.
Philanthropists themselves can work individually or through charitable organizations or foundations.
2. Philanthropic Character
Philanthropic character is the nature of someone who likes to give or be generous, especially for humanitarian purposes. Philanthropists have high concern for each other and the surrounding environment. In fact, they always want to make the world a good place for all mankind.
The character traits of philanthropists are:
- Caring for Others: Philanthropists usually have high empathy and always try to help people in need.
- Voluntary: When participating in various social activities, they will usually do it voluntarily without expecting anything in return.
- Inspiring: His generous, voluntary and highly empathetic figure has always been an inspiration to many people because of the good he does.
- Likes to share: The philanthropist character has a personality that likes to share, whether in the form of wealth, time or knowledge, with other people without asking for anything in return.
- Have a Vision and Mission: Philanthropists usually have a clear vision, mission and goals when carrying out various social activities. They will always try to achieve their goals with the organization or group they join.
In order to have a philanthropic character, you can start from small things first. For example, helping people around us who need us. Apart from that, you can also join a community or organization that suits your interests, then become a volunteer there.
A philanthropic character can also be formed when you instill good values in future generations. Then, be an example of someone who inspires others to always do good.
Of course, philanthropic character is a noble trait that will provide benefits, both for yourself and others. By cultivating a philanthropic nature in yourself, you can contribute to building a better society.
3. Forms of Philanthropic Activities
Generally, there are 3 types of philanthropic activities that are often provided by activists, namely:
3.1 Funding
Funding is one form of activity commonly carried out by philanthropists. The funding in question is in the form of money for assistance to organizations or groups.
The system for giving these funds varies depending on the wishes of the philanthropist himself. Sometimes, there are those who give it directly to several organizations, but there are also those who give funds to only one organization.
3.2 Time
If you don't have the funds or special abilities to help an organization or group, then there's no need to worry. You can still donate your time and energy to help this organization.
You can become a volunteer who gives your time and energy. Of course, this will be a significant support for the organization or group. Volunteers who help organizations vary, some have a limited duration or only one time. However, there are also those that help in the long term. You can choose the one that suits your individual abilities.
3.3 Resources
Not only funding and time, other forms of philanthropic activity that are no less important are resources. The forms of resources provided vary depending on the needs of the group or organization itself.
For example, providing furniture, transportation assistance, and being responsible for consumption in an organized activity.
4. Examples of Philanthropic Activities
There are several examples of philanthropic activities that you can do, namely:
4.1 Making Donations
An example of the first philanthropic activity could be in the form of donations or providing assistance in the form of money or goods to individuals, organizations or communities in need.
For example, donating to victims of natural disasters, donating to orphanages or building schools.
4.2 Volunteering
Philanthropic activities can be in the form of volunteering, where you volunteer your time and energy without any compensation. For example, volunteering to teach in remote villages, volunteering for natural disasters and volunteering in nursing homes.
4.3 Building Schools or Public Facilities
The next example of philanthropic activity is building or participating in improving schools and public facilities, such as health centers, places of worship and others to improve the quality of life of the surrounding community.
4.4 Providing Scholarships
Providing scholarships to underprivileged students can also be an example of philanthropic activity. By providing this scholarship, it is hoped that they can continue their studies well.
4.5 Conduct Community Empowerment Programs
Participate in implementing community empowerment programs to improve community skills and knowledge. For example, skills training, health education and entrepreneurship programs.
4.6 Establishing a Foundation or Social Institution
The next philanthropic activity is establishing foundations or social institutions, such as educational, health and environmental foundations.
4.7 Providing Medical Assistance
You can provide free or subsidized health services for people who need them. For example, free treatment, free surgery or providing free medicines.
4.8 Holding a Social Campaign
Carrying out campaigns to increase public awareness regarding certain social issues, such as violence against children, poverty and gender equality is also a form of philanthropic activity.
4.9 Building a Livable House
If you have more funds, you can build or repair people's houses that are no longer suitable for habitation.
4.10 Participate in Protecting the Environment
Usually, this activity is carried out with communities or organizations working to preserve the environment. Some of the activities include planting trees, cleaning rivers, and recycling rubbish.
5. Reasons a Person Becomes a Philanthropist
Here are some common reasons that encourage someone to become a philanthropist, namely:
5.1 Personal Values
The reasons someone decides to become a philanthropist can come from personal values, such as:
- Humanity: Someone who has a high sense of humanity will be called to help others. Because they want to reduce suffering and improve welfare for people in need.
- Social Justice: Sometimes, someone becomes a philanthropist because they are driven by the desire to create a just and equitable society and thus, they want to provide equal opportunities for everyone.
- Religion and Spirituality: Religious or spiritual beliefs provide a strong motivation to do good and help others. Moreover, all religions teach the importance of sharing and giving to fellow living creatures.
5.2 Personal Experience
Someone can become a philanthropist because of personal experiences they have, such as having felt in the position of someone in need, so they are motivated to help them.
Apart from that, the volunteer experience has a positive impact, where they continue to be inspired to do good. Role models or people who inspire can also be a reason to become a philanthropist because they want to follow in the footsteps of people they admire.
5.3 Social Factors
An environment that supports carrying out philanthropic activities can also encourage someone to get involved in it. Not only that, the philanthropic trends emerging on social media are also able to increase awareness of social and humanitarian issues, thus triggering someone to be interested in volunteering or donating.
5.4 Providing Personal Benefits
Another reason someone becomes a philanthropist is because this activity can provide benefits to oneself. Because positive activities can provide a feeling of happiness and inner satisfaction.
Other benefits include improving mental and physical health and building a network with people with the same interests.
6. How to Become a Philanthropist
If you want to become a philanthropist, you can start by becoming a volunteer and giving time to various activities, participating in charity activities and having a career in non-profit organizations.
So, here are several ways you can become a philanthropist, both personally and professionally, namely:
6.1 Identify the Causes
Before becoming a philanthropist, the main thing to do is find out what you believe in and what activities you want to support. Identify the reasons why you want to contribute to or join an organization.
Start by looking for organizations or communities that you are interested in or need help with. One example is an organization operating in the environmental and educational sectors.
6.2 Think About the Goals You Want to Achieve
Think about what goals you want to achieve if you become a philanthropist. The goals in question can be personal or professional. You have to know and believe that the goals you have are really clear.
6.3 Choose the Right Contribution
As you already know, there are three types of activities that are often provided by philanthropists.
So, before becoming this individual, make sure you know what contribution you will make or give to the organization. Choose the right contribution according to your respective abilities so you can achieve your goals.
6.4 Do Research and Choose the Field According to Your Wishes
If you already have reasons, goals and contributions to be made, then you can do research, then choose the field according to your wishes.
Start doing research by looking for non-profit organizations or communities in the city where you live. Focus on searching for organizations in your field of interest.
If you have found the right organization, find out the organizational structure, vision and mission, and funding.
If the organization's activities are in line with the goals you want to achieve, then you can choose that organization.
6.5 Have a Clear Plan
Once you are sure you have chosen an organization, next start making plans to support that organization. For example, you can set aside income every month and donate it over a certain period of time.
Another example, you can determine a schedule for volunteering to help with organizational activities.
In essence, whatever form of support you provide, make sure you have a mature and clear plan so you don't stop halfway, OK?
6.6 Long Term Plan
If you want to become a philanthropist in the long term, evaluating your plans is an important thing for you to do.
At least, there are several questions that you can use to evaluate your plan, including:
- Will the contribution you will make focus only on one organization or more?
- How do you organize contributions or support?
- How long does it take to be a philanthropist in one organization?
- Do you have plans for collaboration with other resources?
You must answer all these questions honestly so you can evaluate your long-term plans correctly. After that, you can become a professional philanthropist and achieve your desired goals.
6.7 Make Sure to Involve Relationships
Another way to become a philanthropist is to involve relationships by sharing information about philanthropic activities with them, both personally and professionally.
You can tell about your experience of joining the organization as a whole. Starting from when you first joined, the contribution or support provided, funding, time and resources for the organization.
Of course, this can be an inspiration for many people and have a good impact on the organization you join.
7. Differences between Philanthropy, CSR and Donations
Many people think that philanthropy, CSR and donations are the same. In fact, all three have different concepts.
The following are the differences between philanthropy, CSR and donations (charity), namely:
7.1 Philanthropy
In simple terms, philanthropy can be defined as an act of generosity. The concept of philanthropy itself is closely related to a sense of solidarity, caring and social relations between rich and poor people.
Philanthropic institutions usually belong to non-profit institutions or institutions that do not seek profit from the programs they create. Because the aim is to improve the welfare of the recipients of the assistance.
Systematically, this institution has the function of collecting funds from donors, then using them for various aid programs. The funds collected are usually obtained from various methods, such as fundraising in traffic, donation boxes at mosques, partnerships and transfers via account.
7.2 CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility)
On the other hand, CSR is a business model that supports companies in fulfilling their responsibilities to stakeholders and the communities living around the company.
Usually, CSR is created based on the company's awareness of the impact of its business operations, whether social, economic or environmental.
Even so, sometimes there are companies that collaborate with philanthropy as an extension of CSR. However, there is also a complete separation between philanthropy and CSR institutions.
7.3 Donations (Charity)
In fact, philanthropy and donations have the same meaning, namely efforts to raise funds to be distributed to people in need. It's just that philanthropy is more organized, has a large scope and is long term.
Meanwhile, donations or what is known as charity have the nature of direct giving or are only used to overcome symptoms.
This is information about what a philanthropist is that you can know in full. Non-profit organizations can be an option for those of you who want to become a philanthropist. Because, in this organization there are many people who participate in activities and work with humanitarian goals without prioritizing profit. With these conditions, it is suitable for those of you who want to contribute in the form of funding, time or other resources.
.jpg)
