Introduction
Community philanthropy involves raising resources within and for members of a community, whether defined by geography or by identity. Although initial efforts in the United States can be traced back to the nineteenth century, the most rapid expansion occurred in the last half of the twentieth century. European community philanthropy took off in the last 2 decades, particularly in Eastern Europe after the collapse of state socialism left holes in the public welfare safety net. Community philanthropy has generally lagged behind in developing nations. Formal organizations engaged in community philanthropy display a diversity of forms and governance structures. As with most charitable institutions, achieving financial sustainability and accountability are enduring issues. The dearth of rigorous empirical studies of community-philanthropic organizations, particularly international comparisons, should be seen as an opportunity for future advances in understanding this important...
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Zhu, X., Knoke, D. (2010). Community Philanthropy. In: Anheier, H.K., Toepler, S. (eds) International Encyclopedia of Civil Society. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-93996-4_541
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