Linking benefactors with causes

RPOFILE/ Peggy Dulany

The Global Philanthropists Circle has been brokering a unique marriage across the world: Between wealthy corporate families and social causes crying out for aid.

Founded in 2001 by Peggy Dulany and her father, David Rockefeller , the circle is a network of 70 families of wealthy industrialists across the globe.

Dulany, who was in India to scout for Indian families who would be interested, said one of the families in the network was an NRI family that had been there from the beginning. But there was no one from India yet, she added. Dulany is pushing the idea of a partnership between the rich and non-governmental organisations for good causes.

"One needs to create chains of trust with corporates and NGOs as links. We have been seeking allies everywhere, in business, politics... When they become a group, a circle like ours, they are able to see what is really happening and channel help to where it is needed," she said.

Dulany, between holding meetings with industrialists' associations like the Nand and Jeet Khemka Foundation as well as NGOs like the Society for Participatory Research in Asia (PRIA) in Delhi and Gram Vikas in Orissa this month, said she was looking for people who empathise with social causes to join her circle.

"The idea is to become more engaged and make a better impact. Mostly, corporate or retired people want to make a difference. But the distance between the elite and the grassroot level is wide. We try to act as a bridge and help people in elite circles reach out," she said.

Often the rich do philanthropy but do not have enough impact. "Our strategy is that each member does work of his own choice but we help them structure their work to make it more impactful," said Dulany.

At an annual fee of $25,000, each family gets not only staff to help them plan their activities but also opportunities to interact with philanthropists in various fields and visits to areas of need.

The role of the circle is to help corporates listen to voices from the grassroot level. Partnering them with NGOs helped, she said.

She gave the example of Brazil, where lots of initiatives are funded by philanthropists and corporates. When it stopped getting US aid, it was a group of socially conscious business people and Ethos, a business association, that began taking development initiatives.

They focused on business opportunities as well as on what was good for their country, she says.

In India, she gave the example of Hindustan Lever, which started sending its staff on rural retreats. It helped them design a programme for rural livelihood.

"I hope the Indian corporates are listening. They want to do good. But the problem is more complex than they think. Unless they listen they will just be making things up (about the state of affairs)," she said.

Visit www.synergos.org/philanthropistscircle