15 April 2007

Beacon Fellowship celebrates inspiring philanthropists

The British are adept at hiding their light under a bushel when it comes to philanthropy. But are times changing? Are we now starting to talk about, and even celebrate the achievements of British philanthropists?

The Beacon Fellowship Charitable Trust is at the forefront of this trend. Since 2004 Beacon has been singing the praises of innovative and inspiring philanthropists through its prestigious Beacon Award.

The award has six categories, including ‘leadership’ and ‘young philanthropist’ and past winners have ranged from Jamie Oliver, the celebrity chef and social entrepreneur, through to Ben Wells, a 23 year old who works with AIDS orphans in Romania.

The varied backgrounds of the winners is something the Award prides itself on. As Miran Norderland, who manages the Beacon Fellowship Programme points out ‘if you look at our past winners you will see one of the richest women in Britain next to a single mother from a council estate’.

The Award does not only congratulate these extraordinary people. It also showcases their work to inspire others and influence their peers. Zac Goldmith is one winner that John Thurley, Chief Executive of Beacon highlights as an excellent example of this. ‘Zac has used his passion, more than his money to make a difference. By showcasing his work, we can hope to influence his peers’, he comments.

The younger generation

Zac Goldsmith is one member of the younger generation of philanthropists coming through. Not that they would necessarily call themselves philanthropists, as Norderland points out. ‘Young people who fundraise or volunteer don’t see themselves as philanthropists; it is an archaic word’. It is far more common for young Beacon winners to be working in the field than to be practising philanthropy in any traditional sense.

Thurley is keen to point out that receiving the Beacon Award itself is not the end of the road for the winners. He says the ‘overall vision for Beacon is to inspire a change in the culture of giving in the UK. Just to take these extraordinary people and celebrate them once, then lose their value is absurd’.

This is why, as well as setting up the award, the team is also building up a Beacon Fellowship. The Fellowship is made up of past winners and gives them a chance to learn from each other and share experiences. It also encourages them to go back into their communities and help others emulate what they have done.

Philanthropists sharing their experiences

Norderland emphasises the importance of the Fellowship, as a place where philanthropists, new and old can share experiences. He categorises philanthropists into three levels; the apprentice, the journeyman and the master.

Apprentices, he says, may have newly accumulated wealth and be nervous or embarrassed by having so much money. They want to do something for charity but are unsure of what, so they often end up adopting charities recommended by friends and family.

Journeymen are more established in their giving and may have started to build up mechanisms for making decisions about their giving.

Masters are confident and focused in exactly where and how they give. They are willing to speak out for their cause and are able to influence others. By mixing these groups of people the Fellowship is not only able to celebrate winners’ good work but can also support their philanthropy by building a network of givers around them.

Are groups like the Beacon Fellowship Charitable Trust finally getting the British to relax their stiff upper lip and celebrate their giving? No-one has ever turned down the award, Thurley comments. But some are not keen to shout about their achievements.

Many wealthy individuals, he comments, feel they don’t deserve the award and also worry about an overwhelming increase in charity requests from the publicity. Yet, in contrast to this, he also notes that people are becoming more happy to be recognised for their philanthropy if it brings more attention to their cause and raises awareness.

Calls for nominations for the 2007 Award

The Beacon Fellowship Charitable Fellowship is calling for nominations for the 2007 Beacon Prize. With awards in 6 categories and prize of £30,000 for the overall winner to donate to the charity of their choice, the award celebrates people who have made a significant charitable contribution in giving time, money or skills to a cause. If you feel somebody deserves to have their contribution to society celebrated, then visit the Beacon website to download a nomination form.

www.beaconfellowship.org.uk

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