Voluntary action for the public good -- voluntary service and voluntary giving
through voluntary associations -- is a defining characteristic of what it means
to be "American." Americans rely more extensively on philanthropy
to do the public business than any society in history. The history of philanthropy
over thousands of years and the history of philanthropy in America over four
centuries are "the social history of the moral imagination." Every
aspect of our lives reflects the permeating influence of philanthropy, from
efforts to rescue children from disease and abuse to the enrichment of our lives
through arts and education.
Robert L. Payton
Professor of Philanthropic Studies
Indiana University