Charitable giving in the United States topped 370 billion dollars in 2016, and over 70% of those dollars came from individual giving. Is this money well spent? Unfortunately, only some charities are effective. This course will introduce students to nonprofits, philanthropy, and how to give money away. It will cover theories of giving, the nonprofit sector, and criticisms of both. A significant portion of the course will focus on providing students with the tools and skills to evaluate charitable programs for effectiveness using social scientific techniques. We will also address the relationship between philanthropic and state-sponsored programs and discuss issues of social responsibility that arise when billionaires, foundations, and corporate actors engage in philanthropic work.
The experiential learning portion of the class will introduce students first-hand to the dilemmas donors face as they evaluate nonprofits. Based on their own evaluations, students will have the opportunity to distribute significant funds (provided through The Philanthropy Lab and individual donors), to charitable organizations. Students will be placed into groups that will do extensive research on a category of nonprofits, ultimately deciding which charities will receive funds through discussion and debate.
Course Materials:
Peter Singer. 2009. The Life You Can Save. New York: Random House. Available at University Co-op.
Other course readings available through Canvas.