Mission

The mission of the Center for Strategic Philanthropy and Civil Society is to help philanthropy achieve broader and deeper impact in solving problems facing the social sector and the wider civic community.

The Center’s core approach is to engage with philanthropic foundations, providers of service, high-net-worth individuals, corporations, and public policy practitioners to advance and improve philanthropy. CSPCS works collaboratively with individuals and organizations within Duke and elsewhere to maximize impact.

To support the Center’s mission, CSPCS staff  have set three long-term goals:

  • to increase the public policy impact of philanthropic individuals and private, corporate, and community foundations
  • to nourish philanthropy as a field of academic inquiry
  • to position Duke University as a leader both in the field of action-oriented civil society and in the field of philanthropy studies.

To achieve these goals, CSPCS focuses its strategies in four areas:

  • using communications technologies to promote, refine, and critique the principles and methods of strategic philanthropy
  • demonstrating the efficacy of strategic philanthropy by applying its principles and methods to specific real-world problems
  • advancing understanding and awareness among the attentive public (foundations, very wealthy donors, NGOs, and policymakers) of the principles and methods of strategic philanthropy
  • advancing knowledge within the scholarly community.

In addition to professors Skloot and Fleishman, CSPCS staff includes a program coordinator (Mary Collins) and a case writer (Barry Varela). Two programs have been incorporated into the Center: The Teaching Case Writing Program, which prepares approximately 10 cases per year on aspects of foundation strategic decision-making for professors who teach courses in philanthropy, and the Foundation Impact Research Group (FIRG) seminars, a series of approximately 12 afternoon seminars held annually since 2002 with leaders of the profession.

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