Katherine Fulton On The Future Of Philanthropy

In this uplifting talk, Katherine Fulton sketches the new future of philanthropy -- one where collaboration and innovation allow regular people to do big things, even when money is scarce. Giving five practical examples of crowd-driven philanthropy, she calls for a new generation of citizen leaders.

Billions of dollars are spent on philanthropy each year, but the way they are spent is changing rapidly. Katherine Fulton's team at Monitor Group has been tracking these changes, and she has become an eloquent advocate for the “New Philanthropy,” surprising audiences with her insights on an underreported phenomenon of momentous significance.

As president of Monitor Institute, she works with today's most imaginative, entrepreneurial leaders (not just in philanthropy, but also in business and government) to pioneer breakthrough next practices in how complex social problems are framed, confronted, funded and ultimately solved.

As a result of her efforts, she has been awarded both a Nieman Fellowship at Harvard University and a Lyndhurst Foundation prize for community service. Her innovative course design at Duke University was featured in Time magazine and her work on the future of journalism in Columbia Journalism Review.

She is also co-author of several books, among them Investing for Social and Environmental Impact: A Blueprint for Catalyzing an Emerging Industry, Looking Out for the Future: An Orientation for Twenty-First Century Philanthropists and What If? The Art of Scenario Thinking for Nonprofits. 

Susan notes: Thanks to TED for making TED Talks downloadable and embeddable, and for providing the biographical information that goes along with them.