There’s an important point to be made about philanthropy. Some people, including givers themselves, suspect it doesn’t do a lot of good.
Think about it. A lot of the major gifts you read about are to universities, museums, the symphony or the ballet company — fine causes, all, but not the kinds of things that directly benefit the poor or tackle major societal problems. Some gifts can perpetuate a cycle of well-endowed institutions with well-paid staff serving a well-off clientele.
