Philanthropy has existed in various forms in all cultures and civilizations throughout history, yet most people know little about it and its distinctive place in our lives. Why does philanthropy exist? Why do people so often turn to philanthropy when we want to make the world a better place? In essence, what is philanthropy? These fundamental questions are tackled in this engaging and original book. Written by one of the founding figures in the field of philanthropic studies, Robert L. Payton, and his former student sociologist Michael P. Moody, Understanding Philanthropy presents a new way of thinking about the meaning and mission of philanthropy. Weaving together accessible theoretical explanations with fascinating examples of philanthropic action, this book advances key scholarly debates about philanthropy and offers practitioners a way of explaining the rationale for their nonprofit efforts. "Payton and Moody's book is an extended argument that philanthropy is an interesting and important subject that deserves to be better understood and to be taken more seriously. Apart from the usual gripe from this side of the Atlantic that the authors also take themselves a little too seriously, it does largely fulfil its stated aim, although UK readers should brace themselves for a relentlessly upbeat approach and repetition of the mystifyingly widespread view that America invented philanthropy. Much of the first half of the book revolves around defining key terms and dissecting the differences between apparent synonyms such as 'charity' and 'philanthropy'. Having successfully cleared a path through the thicket of definitional tangles, the book moves onto meatier questions regarding the rationale for philanthropy's existence, its relationship to other forms of assistance and the practicalities of undertaking philanthropic action. Whilst the authors, being openly pro-philanthropic, are clear that philanthropy is the answer, they do not shy from addressing the obvious retort, 'what is the question?' In a beautiful demonstration of Occam's Razor (the principle which states the best theories are those expressed most succinctly and simply), the authors argue that, "Philanthropy exists because of two truths about the human condition: things often go wrong and things could always be better". The philanthropic tradition is then described as the history of the response to these two facts.... Grand claims are made about the possibilities inherent in philanthropic action, with philanthropy variously described as essential to democracy, the locus of society's moral agenda and "our best hope to make the world better". Yet the authors readily acknowledge the existence of alternative responses when things go wrong and situations need to be improved.... Whilst government and market failure often feature in theories of the voluntary sector – implying that philanthropy is the 'fall-back option' – this book usefully highlights that philanthropic acts have a positive comparative advantage because they are defined by morality, whereas governments are defined by 'power' and business by 'wealth'. Such sweeping generalisations inevitably invite debate; many people enter politics to implement moral ideas and many businesspeople-turned-philanthropists would argue that wealth creation was a necessary precursor to their later generosity..... Whilst this all sounds rather abstract, philanthropists will find much of practical use in a chapter on the practicalities of undertaking philanthropic action that acknowledges the perils of attempting to intervene voluntarily in other people's lives for their benefit..... The need to be good stewards of the philanthropic tradition occupies the entire concluding chapter, which – staying true to the book's title – advocates better understanding of philanthropy as the surest route to defending its essential roles in key democratic tasks such as defining, advocating and achieving the public good, advancing the general welfare and responding when things go wrong. Such seriously ambitious goals perhaps ultimately justify the authors' occasionally serious and self-important tone."―Beth Breeze, Publications Editor , Philanthropy UK Nwsltr , September 2008, Issue 34 "This book is the result of an unusual collaboration. Senior author Payton is a former diplomat, university president (Indiana Univ.), and foundation president. He was the founder of the Research Committee of Independent Sector, and later associated with the Indiana University-Purdue University of Indianapolis Center on Philanthropy, so he can be considered the father of the new field of philanthropic studies in the US. Moody, on the other hand, is a recent PhD in cultural sociology (Univ. of Southern California) who is a newcomer to the field. But this unlikely pair has produced a fine volume on the moral meaning and function of philanthropy. Payton has long been an advocate of the moral purposes of philanthropy, and this thoughtful volume makes