Philanthropy and Civil Society
Finally, I have been fascinated by a theme that recurs frequently in writings about American philanthropy.
Bob Payton, Professor of Philanthropy at Indiana University, in his book "Voluntary Action for the Public Good," writes "...it might be argued that philanthropy is a defining characteristic of civilized society."
The idea that philanthropy is an essential ingredient for civil society is highly developed in the writings of James Luther Adams of the University of Chicago. In his student days he spent time in Nazi Germany.
Concerning that experience he wrote: "Nothing makes one long for water more than to be without it in a desert. The loss of the mediating structures that exist between the individual and the state creates such a desert, one that was experienced by millions of people in Nazi Germany. One of the first things Adolf Hitler did after seizing power was to abolish, or attempt to abolish, all organizations that would not submit to control." He adds, "these mediating structures I came to see as...indispensable...in a democratic society."
Lester Salamon says it another way: "...the existence of a set of institutions that is private, nonprofit, and self-governing has come to be viewed in this country both as a convenient way to meet community needs and as a crucial prerequisite to a true ‘civil society.’"
Waldemar Nielsen, another well known commentator on the nonprofit sector, writes: "...the ultimate contribution (of the sector) (is) what it does to ensure the continuing responsiveness, creativity and self-renewal of our democratic society." He refers to "organized pestiferousness of the active citizenry" through "mediating structures" which stand "between the citizen and the dangers of bureaucratic and political misconduct."
It is important to remember this "organized pestiferousness" is subject to the protection of the First Amendment (Free Speech) to the Constitution.
Others, including John Gardner and Vernon Jordan speak to the subject.
Both refer to the importance of the "mediating Structures" but both caution against getting the concept out of perspective. Gardner writes: "Many of the forces acting upon us can only be dealt with by large-scale organizations, national in scope, including a vigorous government." But, he concludes, "if we intend that the overarching governmental organizations we create be our servants, and not our masters, we must have vital communities."
Gardner adds: "Government bureaucracies are simply not constructed to permit the emergence of countless new ideas, and even less suited to winnowing out of bad ideas." However, he continues: "In the nonprofit sector someone with a new idea or program may well find the few followers necessary to nurse it to maturity." He concludes: "Virtually every significant social idea of the past century in this country has been nurtured in the nonprofit sector."
