Giving Thought

 In episode 64, we explore the philanthropic response to the ongoing bushfires in Australia and what it highlights about philanthropy issues and trends. We also give take a look at some of the other top philanthropy stories in the news. The Aussie Bushfires: How does the philanthropic response to the Aussie bushfires compare to the Notre Dame Cathedral fire last year? Does it tell us anything about the differences between our response to man-made vs natural disasters, or disasters affecting man-made heritage vs natural heritage? Does the fact that the Aussie bushfires are highly dispersed make a difference? Are environmental issues less likely to be perceived as “elite”, and thus philanthropy focused on them less likely to be criticised as “self-interested”? Is the response to the bushfires partly about people feeling a sense of agency over the issue of climate change, which often seems so huge that it can cause donation paralysis? Does the fact that animals as well as humans have been affected make a differ