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Adventures

Call them 'social entrepreneurs', 'venture phila~lthropists'or 'resourceful givers': a new generation of volunteers and donors arechanging charity. And tlllS time they mean business, says Rebecca Newman

Photograph by Richard Cannon

century ago, the Camegies,the Rockefellers and othersof their ilk reinventedphilanthropy with thecreation of their greatcharitable foundations.Today. those organisations

are still plugging away for the good ofhumanity, but we are experiencing anotherimportant shift in the nature of giving.

This summer the headlines were focusedStateside, as Warren Buffet and Bill Gatespersuaded billionaires to pledge half theirfortunes to charity. But the UK is also inthe vanguard, with UHNWIs donating vastamounts, while people of every politicalstripe, age and career are fmding new ways tocontribute money or time. In fact, with localcommunity groups and national bodies beingasked to join David Cameron's Big Society.it's just as well that 'civic responsibility' isnow a non-negotiable item on the agenda ofour biggest companies, while individual CVsaren't complete without a section headed'Volunteering and charity work'.

The 2009 Sunday Times Giving list reportedthat the UK's richest 1,000 people gave £2.5bn,despite thedowntum, 'When the SundayTimesRich list started in 1989, only a quarter of thevery wealthy were self-made millionaires: sayslist compiler Philip Beresford. 'Now it is morelike three-quarters. The bulk of today's super-rich are people with their feet on the ground,for whom poverty is not an abstraction butsomething to be overcome.'

Many of them are employing their rigorousfinancial acumen to ensure their givingcatalyses the biggest possible change, anapproach that has been christened 'venturephilanthropy'. Fund manager ChristopherHohn, son of a Jamaican car mechanic, hasgiven over £SOOm, six times his personalwealth, to his Children's Investment FundFoundation. Stanley Fink made his millions

at the world's largest hedge fund, Man Group,and gives away an estimated third to a half ofhis income. 'If I've treated myself to somethingnew or an expensive holiday: he says, 'donatingthe same amount to charity makes me feel I'mnot self-eentred.'

Fink is chairman of ARK, the children'scharity founded by Arpad 'Arki' Busson, whoseglamorous fundraisingdinners are a focal pointfor giving. Along with the Serpentine Partyand Natalia Vodianova's Love Ball, his eventshave rejuvenated the charitable calendar and,like Buffet's Giving Pledge, done much to givephilanthropy greater social cachet.

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Matt Hermer's Ignite Group, whichincludes hip venues such as Boujis, Cocoonand Bumpkin, sponsors the Serpentine Partyand the Love Ball. 'Since the recession thereis a greater humility, an awareness of thevalue of money and a desire to do the mostyou can with it,' Hermer says. 'Philanthropyis definitely in vogue.' With his Americanwife, Marissa, Henner has set up an annualThanksgiving dinner. Last year it raised moneyfor Notting Hill youth charity My Generation.'We held the evening at Bumpkin, whichfocuses on local food, and it was a special andrewarding thing for us to put something backinto the local community.' .

Of course, it's not only the super-rich whodonate. Being sponsored to run 10miles - or inthe case of Eddie Izzard, 1,000 miles - or eat arecord.breaking number of cream crackers hasbecome a quintessential British trait. In theLondon Marathon, four.fifths of entrants arefundraising. This is not the pattern for similarevents elsewhere in the world. 'In the NewYorkMarathon, most of the people running forcharity are British,' says historian John Bryant.

The internet has oiled the process, esperiallythe donation site Just Giving. More than 12million people in the UK have used it toraise £700m for charity. Having sponsored theLondon Marathon, Virgin Money was inspiredto set up a second online donation site, VrrginMoney Giving. Where Just Giving is run for aslight profit, VMGis simply run to cover costs.'Company profits can be used to do somethinggood,' reasons VIrgin chief Sir Richard Branson.'With VMG, only charities benefit from thefundraisers' hard work'

Awkward as the 'Big Society' moniker maybe, there is a general awareness that societyneeds to function better - particularly as statesupport has been effectively kneecapped bythe budget deficit. The man charged withmaking this happen is Nat Wei, a 33-year-oldelevated to the House of Lords as Baron Wei ofShoreditch. One of his priorities is to inspire aculture of volunteering.

Happily, such a culture is already growing.Not long ago I went to a quiz at Islington'sorganic pub, the Duke of Cambridge, in aidof a nearby homeless shelter. During theevening, I realised that many of the well-heeled locals - including Pierre Condoll, theowner of Paramount and Century. and OneShow presenter Hardeep Singh Kohli - alsodiscreetly work at the shelter,

'Sometimes it feels easier, simpler andmore fulfilling to just get on with tr)ingto effect social change directly,' says Kohli.'Shelter from the Storm changes the li\'eS of >

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with "red in tooth and claw" capitalism,they inspire vision and purpose; in an age ofausterity they provide scalable and sustainablesocial solutions; and in tenus of social andfinancial returns, they offer the greatest "bangfor the buck".'

Society has also tuned in to the rewards ofphilanthropy. Docturs have confirmed thathelping others is physically good for you. andAnthony Grayling is among the philosopherswho beli~ the way to happiness is throughgenerosity and kindness. We are privilegedto volunteer: says Gunn. 'It's fun. People areso excited to find that their professional skillscan benefit the world. and be part of a groupthat believes it can effect change. and that itis worth trying to make ~n a tiny difference.There is a vast sense of optimism and drive forthe years ahead.' •

.People are excitedto discover thattheir skills can

benefit the worldhand that it is wort~g to .make evena tmy difference~

what you set out to do. It is a tremendouslyrewarding experience.'

Lord Wei is also championing socialenterprise. that is. self-sustaining businesseswhich ron for social as wcll as some financialsuccess. Wei has experience in the field:after working for management consultingfinn McKinsey he co-founded Teach First.an acclaimed social enterprise which aimsto transform the educational chances ofunderprivileged children by temptingexceptional graduates away from the obviouscareer routes of banking and accountancy tocreate a 'new generation ofleaders committedto advancing education'.

Jamie Oliver's restaurant Fifteen is anotherwell.lmown social enterprise. It found fundingfrom Big Issue Invest. created by the companythat runs the homeless magazine to financesocial business. 'It is pioneering stuff,. saysBig Issue Invest chief executive Nigel Kershaw.'People can contribute money in a way whichis a new form of investment and a new formof charity. Straight donations are a wonderfulthing. but they can breed dependency.Investing in a social business is philanthropy_ but unlike 19th<entury philanthropy. thismuney will keep giving.' Earlier this year.london's poshest bank. Coutts, founded aSocial Enterprise Advisory Service, withKershaw sitting on the board. 'Coutts foundthat people want to get involved,' Kershawadds. 'Their entrepreneurs have knowledgeof finance and the passion to improve theworld: if they leverage this they could have anincredibly p:')werful impact.'

In March. Tom Rippin (who, like Wei, isex-McKinsey)founded On Purpose, a leadershiptraining scheme for the sector. 'Socialenterprises are the right idea at the righttime: he says. 'In the wake of disillusionment

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capitalJifeunfortUnate souls who are members of mycommunity. Homelessness can strike almostanyone. unexpectedly. It is a privilege to do anysmall thing to help.'

Often, volunteers come from a business orcorporate background, bringing with them afcrused professionalism that is invaluable tocharities on its receiving end. 'There is hugelatent enthusiasm. but busy people do notalways have time to research for placements:says Mary Rose Gunn. who oversees theEngaging Experience Philanthropy Network.which launched earlier this year. 'instead, welearn about the particular expertise of ourmembers and introduce them to charitableorganisations which can best use them.'

Cunn is an Oxford graduate who workedin politics and media before moving to a jobwith the charitable Bulldog Trust. From herpeers. she created a group of ambassadorsfor Engaging Experience. each of whominvites interested contacts with expertise ina wide range of fields to events held near heroffices at Temple. One is Maria Largey, wholeft her role at JP Morgan to become directorof philanthropy at micro-finance charityOpportunity International. 'I have madevaluable contacts at Engaging Experience, whohave helped both with strategies to develop myrole and linked me to new donors: she says.

'Best of all. it is a network of like-mindedpeople who come together with a sharedpurpose. I spent years trying to figure out howto use my skills in the voluntary sector. andhad various discouragements. It is maIVellousto have a body like this: increasingly peoplewant to do more, but they need someone toshow them how.'

Innovative organisation Impetus, run bychief executive Daniela Barone Soares. workson the venrure philanthropy model and usesinvesonent arumen to make the most ofeach pound donated and 'grow' the chosencharities. Pilotlight is another group workingwith business executives to help charities.Volunteers pay to join. money that is spenton a Pilotlight consultant who manages theinteractions. One such exec is Phil zeidler.the chairman of Poweramp Music, whichlooks after Charlotte Church and Madness. 'Iwanted to volunteer. and the process Pilodightuses makes a phenomenal difference: hesays. 'Nolxxly wants to waste time, and withPilotlight both you and the charity achieve

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