Giving and Philanthropy: A Series of Talks with Local Scholar Dr. Erzsebet Fazekas
Are you a development professional looking for fresh perspectives? Or considering how you can best support the causes you admire? Join us for this wide-ranging series of talks exploring many aspects of Giving and Philanthropy.
The University Club of Albany Foundation, with the support of Humanities New York, is pleased to present a six-part series of talks on Giving and Philanthropy by local scholar Dr. Erzsebet Fazekas beginning Thursday, September 5. The talks will take place at the National Register-listed University Club of Albany, 141 Washington Avenue at Dove Street, from 6:00-7:30 p.m. on Thursdays.
This discussion series will introduce participants to the key issues at the heart of charitable giving and philanthropy: motivations for giving, the selection of recipients and worthy causes, and the impact of giving on donors, recipients and society in general. We will read a variety of texts (literary and journalistic) and use visual media (photos and videos) to discuss the questions identified for each session, such as “What are the costs and rewards of giving?” and “Why do we give?” Participants will be encouraged to bring stories from their own lives and cases from the history of New York State to provide context for these difficult ethical and strategic decisions. The sessions will be interactive, open discussion will be favored over lectures.
All readings will be available as handouts or online.
The program will run as follows:
Session 1 on September 6: The Ethics of Giving and Taking
- Maya Angelou: The Sweetness of Giving
- Shel Silverstein: The Giving Tree (video)
- Oscar Wilde: The Happy Prince (recommended)
Discussion Questions: How do we show love? What are the costs and rewards of giving? In what ways do you practice giving?
Session 2 on September 13: The Gift
- Ian Parker: The Gift
Guest Speaker: Rebecca Colesworthy, author of Returning the Gift. Modernism and the Thought of Exchange
Recommended: Marcel Mauss: The Gift; Mitch Albom: Tuesdays with Morrie
Discussion Questions: What is a gift? What makes a good gift? What and how much to give? Is money a good gift? Is human organ donation a (good) gift? What should limit our giving? Should the wealthy give more than those with less?
Session 3 on September 20: To Whom or For What To Give? Giving Traditions
- Elizabeth Lynn and D. Susan Wisel: Four Traditions of Philanthropy
- Anna Akhmatova: If All Who Have Begged Help
- Video testimonies from selected donors
Discussion Questions: What are the strengths and weaknesses of each philanthropic tradition? What examples of each have you seen? Are there any other traditions not mentioned? Are there new traditions you have observed or would like to see practiced? What makes a worthy recipient? What causes are worth giving to?
Session 4 on September 27: The Gift of Giving: Halo and Reciprocity
- Pablo Neruda: The Hand Through the Fence (an anecdote)
- Anne Lamott: Giving
Discussion Questions: When you give, what do you expect in return? How does giving affect the giver and the recipient? What does good giving require? What strings may be attached to giving?
Session 5 on October 4: Why Give? Big Donors
- Andrew Carnegie: The Gospel of Wealth
- Select letters from the Giving Pledge
Discussion Questions: Why do today’s big donors give away at least half of their wealth before or upon their death? How do their motives differ from those of philanthropists a hundred years ago? Which of the four traditions do they pursue?
Session 6 on October 11: The Impact of Giving
- Bertolt Brecht: A Bed For the Night
- 2013 Annual Letter from Bill Gates
Discussion Questions: How do we know what a gift or donation achieves? How can we identify desired outcomes? How do we know what others need? How do we know if our giving is effective and if it has (intended) impact? What kind of change, if any, should giving create? Do one’s motives for giving matter more or less than the outcome of giving?
Among the published works and research interests of local scholar Dr. Erzsebet Fazekas are:
- “The 1% Law in Hungary: Private Donation from Public Funds to the Civil Sphere.” The Journal of East European Law, Vol. 7 (3/4): 441-505, 2000.
- “The Project of Civil Society Development: American Foundations and the Flow of Ideas.”
- “The Giving Pledge: Ideas and Strategies of Philanthrocapitalism”
Cost for participation in this event is $12 per session, or $60 for all six. This event is presented by the University Club of Albany Foundation, Inc. and one need not be a member of the University Club to attend. Click the "Register Now" button on this page or call the University Club at 518-463-1151 to reserve your seat. Come early at 5:30 to enjoy a beverage and light fare, and stay for dinner after the talks.
To connect with Dr. Erszebet Fazekas, email erszebet.fazekas@gmail.com
The University Club of Albany Foundation was formed to recognize and maintain the unique historic and architectural significance of the University Club building and property, its neighborhood and the city of Albany, where it has been located since its inception in 1901.
The University Club of Albany Foundation also thanks Humanities New York for its generous sponsorship of this series.