Philanthropic Disruptions: Changing Nonprofit Education for an Engaged Society

Abstract

The authors link the development of nonprofit education to the historical transformations of the nonprofit sector. They argue that the professionalization of the nonprofit sector has led to the current emphasis on economic approaches and performance management in nonprofit and philanthropic studies curricula. This trend parallels the marginalization of broader approaches to the field, approaches that are able to capture philanthropy’s historical, ethical/moral, and political functions. The authors propose a series of steps that could help nonprofit educational programs address the challenges of a rapidly changing field and prepare nonprofit leaders for the 21st century. The article aims to start a dialogue on the future of nonprofit education, which ought to prepare future leaders in the field to speak philanthropy’s multiple languages.

Keywords:

• Nonprofit studies
• nonprofit education
• philanthropy
• history of nonprofit sector
• civil society

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Peter C. Weber

Peter C. Weber is assistant professor and director of nonprofit leadership studies at Murray State University. He holds a doctorate in philanthropic studies from the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, as well as degrees from the University of Bologna in Italy. His research focuses on the role of civil society and international philanthropy in building democratic practices of governance in young democracies, from both a historical and contemporary perspective. He has published his work in Global Society, Voluntas, and the Non-profit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly.

gregory R. Witkowski

Gregory R. Witkowski is associate professor of philanthropic studies at the Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. His research focuses on philanthropy and civil society, examining philanthropic networks in communist East Germany, philanthropy and civicmindedness in experiential philanthropy courses, community-based philanthropy in Indiana’s history, and philanthropic reactions to the 9/11 disaster. He helped transition IUPUI’s Center on Philanthropy to become the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, where he served as the first director of graduate programs.