The first book on philanthropy in disaster contexts, “Philanthropic Response to Disasters: Gifts, Givers and Consequences” is co-edited by SPPA Professor Susan Phillips, Alexandra Williamson (Australian Centre for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Studies) and Diana Leat (Centre for Philanthropy and Public Good, University of St Andrews).
Published by Policy Press, March 30, 2023. ISBN 978-1447362531
Description
When disaster strikes, our instinctive response is to make things better, not only as individuals but also as groups, organisations, communities and major institutions within society.
With increasing climate-related disasters and the potential for future global pandemics, philanthropy will continue to play an essential role. Yet our knowledge of how philanthropic responses to disasters are motivated, organised and received is fragmented.
This book is a step toward curating our existing knowledge in the emerging field of ‘disaster philanthropy’ and to building a robust base for future research, practice and public policy.
The authors highlight unknowns and ambiguities, extensions and unexplored spaces, and challenges and paradoxes. Above all, they recognise that philanthropic responses to disasters are complex, conditional and subject to change.
“This book is a pioneering effort to collect established knowledge about all aspects of philanthropic responses to disasters in one condensed, informative and very readable volume.” Johan Vamstad, Marie Cederschiöld University
Authors
Alexandra Williamson is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Australian Centre for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Studies (ACPNS) in the Faculty of Business & Law at Queensland University of Technology (QUT). She has more than a decade of experience working in the philanthropic sector in Melbourne, first with one of Australia’s largest private foundations, and then within the charitable trusts team of a national trustee company. She was also part of the research team working on Giving Australia 2015-2016, the largest ever Australian study into philanthropic giving.
Diana Leat is a board member for ArtSquat and the Blagrave Trust. Based in the UK, she has more than 30 years of experience as an academic specialist in philanthropy, and as a consultant and board member, including with the Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Fund and the Big Lottery Fund. Leat is the author of more than 100 articles and books on the non-profit sector and social policy, specializing in philanthropic foundations.
Susan Phillips is a Professor in the School of Public Policy and Administration and Founder and Supervisor of the Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership Graduate Program at Carleton University. She’s researching “Models of cross-sector leadership,” “The responses of foundations during COVID-19,” and “Strategies for enhancing the financial sustainability of Canada’s charities,” among other research projects, and she’s the Policy Lead with the Charity Insights Canada Project.