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Travelers’ tips from Ibn Battuta – A fourteenth century itinerant traveler
If someone has traveled over 70,000 miles in the 14th century, by land and sea; one can safely assume that this person knows a thing or two about travel and life, in general. Added to this, if one happens to be a religious scholar, who has access to Sultans and Princes around the world, then […]
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Not everything that can be Counted Counts, and Not Everything that Counts can be Counted: Notes from ARNOVA, 2013
I left Hartford, CT on Saturday after three grueling days of intense thinking and engagement at the 42nd Annual Association for Research on Non-profit and Voluntary Action (ARNOVA), the Mecca for nonprofit theorists and practitioners. For over four decades the organization has been the meeting ground for anyone interested and engaged in this sphere. […]
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Is American Philanthropy exceptional?
Is American philanthropy exceptional? As the most generous country in the world (by some counts) is the U.S. unique in the way that it advocates and practices charity? While the U.S. remains one of the most creative, dynamic, and trendsetting countries when it comes to charitable giving, is it true that unique? On the surface, […]
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Innovations in Philanthropy: Community Foundations and Faith-based organizations undergoing a radical shift
“There hasn’t been any ‘innovation’ in Islamic philanthropy in the last 1400 years,” said Reza Aslan, a scholar of religion and founder of ‘Zakatability,’ a startup that is aiming at efficient zakat distribution through online technologies. His organization is all set to change this, using a combination of traditional norms and modern technologies. While one […]
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” Jamsetji Tata established his philanthropic foundation in India before even that of Carnegie,” – John Godfrey.
John Godfrey is a PhD Candidate at the Swinburne University of Technology, Australia, exploring High Net Worth Philanthropy in India. In this short interview, he explains how he got interested in studying Philanthropy in India, its dimensions – social, cultural and religions and how, if at all, it differs from Western notions of giving. […]
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ACCESS: A model for Arab-American Philanthropy? Conversations in Philanthropy # 3
I first heard of the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services (ACCESS) through someone I know in Washington D.C. She introduced me to Maha Freij, their Deputy Executive Director a few weeks ago, as I was researching for a paper on ethnic giving and community-based philanthropy. A short visit to Dearborn, MI just […]
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Rambam’s reminder during Ramadhan – Conversations in Philanthropy # 2
Rabbi Maimonides, or Rambam as he is popularly known was one of the foremost Jewish scholar, who lived in Islamic Spain in the 13th century. He was born in Cordoba, present day Spain, during the Almoravid Empire in 11135 AD and died in Egypt in December 1204. He was a Rabbi, preacher, physician. Rambam is […]
