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In a case study that reiterates the tenet of philanthrolocalism, Elias Crim shares an interesting, and sad example of how global corporatism adversely affects a local fundraising campaign.

"If you haven’t read Jeremy Beer’s The Philanthropic Revolution: An Alternative History of American Charity, well then tant pis pour toi, as the French used to say. It’s an eloquent historical essay on how we got from a theologically-grounded and localized culture of charity to the technologically-driven, globalist system of institutionalized do-goodery today. From the jacket blurb: “[Beer] exposes the way modern philanthropy’s roots are entangled with fear and loathing of the poor, anti-Catholic prejudice, militarism, messianic dreams, and the ideology of progress.” OK, that should get you going.

"If the book had included case studies, I have one to offer: my decade-plus experience in fund-raising for a venerable Catholic after-school program in Chicago. More than a volunteer, I had a small sales job calling up corporations and soliciting paid advertising for the annual fund-raiser dinner, attended by quite a few of Chicago’s corporate glitterati. The ads are printed in the gala evening’s program book, as they’re called, and they go for anywhere from $1,000 to perhaps $6,000, depending on size and position in the book."--Elias Crim, Patheos


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