Giving 2.0: Transform Your Giving and Our World

Laura Arrillaga-Andreessen, PACS founder/advisory board chair

Giving 2.0 is the ultimate resource for anyone navigating the seemingly infinite ways one can give. The future of philanthropy is far more than just writing a check, and Giving 2.0 shows how individuals of every age and income level can harness the power of technology, collaboration, innovation, advocacy, and social entrepreneurship to take their giving to the next level and beyond.

Civil Society, Philanthropy and the Fate of the Commons 

Bruce Sievers, PACS Visiting Scholar

Among the greatest challenges facing humanity in the twenty-first century is that of sustaining a healthy civil society, which depends upon managing the tension between individual and collective interests. Bruce R. Sievers explores this issue by investigating ways to balance the public and private sides of modern life in a manner that allows realization of the ideal of individual freedom and, at the same time, makes possible the effective pursuit of the common good.

Philanthropy and Social Investing: Blueprint 2011

Lucy Bernholz, PACS Visiting Scholar and founder of Blueprint Research and Design

The first annual industry-wide analysis for giving and social investing! Blueprint 2011 answers questions such as:

Philanthropy, social investing, and the social sector are rapidly changing. This monograph, Philanthropy and Social Investing: Blueprint 2011, provides an overview of the current landscape, points to major trends, identifies meaningful innovations, and directs your attention to corners where we can expect some important breakthroughs in the coming year.

Giving Well: The Ethics of Philanthropy, Oxford University Press 2010 and includes "Toward a Political Theory of Philanthropy" by Rob Reich, PACS Faculty Co-Director

Edited by: Patricia Illingworth, Thomas Pogge, Leif Wenar

So long as large segments of humanity are suffering chronic poverty and are dying from treatable diseases, organized giving can save or enhance millions of lives. With the law providing little guidance, ethics has a crucial role to play in ensuring that the philanthropic practices of individuals, foundations, NGOs, governments, and international agencies are morally sound and effective. 

Anything Goes: Approval of Nonprofit Status by the IRS
Rob Reich, PACS Faculty Co-Director

The IRS approved more than 50,000 new organizations as 501c3 nonprofits in 2008. It has approved more than 50,000 organizations for every year of the past decade, leading to a massive growth in the nonprofit sector. The number of 501c3s has grown by more than 50% in just a decade. What kinds of organizations are most often approved? How strict or lax is the approval process? Stanford's Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society (PACS) new report examines the approval of nonprofit status by the IRS based on research conducted by faculty co-director Rob Reich over the summer with two terrific students, Lacey Dorn and Stefanie Sutton.

A Simple Change in Phrasing Can Increase Voter Turnout
Christopher Bryan, Postdoctoral Psychology Researcher

Co-authors, Greg Walton, Carol Dweck and Todd Rogers

In a paper published this week, researchers found that people are more likely to vote if a subtle change in the wording of a few questions makes them focus on themselves as a voter rather than voting as a task. Psychology researcher Christopher Bryan is lead author of the study.

Philanthrocapitalism: Reflections on Politics and Policy Making
Ramdas, Kavita

Kavita N. Ramdas, a Visiting Scholar at Stanford University's Center for Democracy, Development and Rule of Law, was most recently president and chief executive officer at the Global Fund for Women where she currently serves as a senior advisor.