Current research projects
- Equipping the future: the role of fundraising in historic hospital scanner appeals. There is a proud history of philanthropic giving to hospitals in this country, dating back centuries. Much has been written about how philanthropists and charities have played an important role in establishing hospitals and medical facilities as well as historically sponsoring hospital beds. The research presented in this paper describes the arrival of scanners, both CT (Computed Tomography) and MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging), from the 1980s and the push by hospitals to fundraise for them. Using the archived papers of Craigmyle Fundraising Consultants, this paper makes a contribution to understanding the timeline of giving to equipment appeals and reveals the work undertaken by Craigmyle to support the medical profession. The research also touches on the current picture of hospital charities fundraising for equipment and ends by noting the Government’s plans for future funding of diagnostic equipment. This research examines the appeal literature that Craigmyle produced along with its ‘asking’ approaches and draws conclusions of what this work means today for the charity sector.
- Moonshot Philanthropy – In Summer 2023 we begin work on an exciting new research project to bring clarity to the concept and practice of ‘moonshot philanthropy’ as a means to achieving the key challenges facing humanity, as set out in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The costs of financing the SDGs was running short by $2.5 trillion per annum before the Covid pandemic and according to the OECD the gap may reach $4.2 trillion per annum post-pandemic. There is therefore an urgent need to understand how best to reduce this gap. Philanthropists are known to have different risk appetites, with some seeking more certain outcomes and others being willing to pursue a ‘moonshot’ approach. This research project will focus on the latter, generating new evidence of the existence and effectiveness of this concept to explore and communicate how risk-taking capital can be best harnessed to achieve the type of disproportionate and disruptive change necessary to achieve the SDGs. For more details, see https://research.kent.ac.uk/philanthropy/moonshot-philanthropy/
- Philanthropy advising – We interviewed 40 philanthropy advisors in 15 countries to map the landscape of philanthropy advising, identifying what the work involves, what kind of people are doing it, and how it relates to the broader philanthropy sector and criticisms about philanthropy. This research developed from the ‘Advising Donors module on our Masters programme which Emma Beeston and Dr Beth Breeze co-designed and co-teach every Summer term. An overview of the study’s findings is available in this short film:
- Defending Philanthropy – Whilst critique is an important aspect of scholarly and useful for improving philanthropy, this study explores whether criticisms have gone too far in over-stating the problematic aspects of private giving and undermining its positive role and potential. A series of discussions and interactions with philanthropists and practitioners across the world culminated in the publication of In Defence of Philanthropy’ (2021) which won the 2021 Skystone Research prize and was described by the Wall Street Journal as “A masterly takedown… a badly needed rebuttal to the rising chorus of denunciations directed at high-profile donors”