Future scenarios for the charity sector in 2045

Abstract

This paper employs a scenario planning methodology to address the question of what the charity sector will look like in 2045. Drawing on relevant literature, it describes four different scenarios reflecting a combination of drivers for the future. These can help inform future strategic planning for the sector and charities themselves.

Massive Philanthropy as Marketing Competition in The New Normal Era During Pandemic

“…However, this is not a major factor (Nguyen, 2015), because the cause of massive philanthropy is not just the emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic (Bunds, Brandon-Lai, & Armstrong, 2016;Hitman, 2019;Lim & Moufahim, 2015). In the end, philanthropy, which originally had humanitarian motives, changed completely (Cordery, Smith, & Berger, 2017;Miller, 2012;Mulder & Joireman, 2016) and did not rule out humanity. Competitions in philanthropy (Chen, 2020;Pelsmacker, Dens, & Meulenaer, 2020) are interesting as a response and interest so that the future of philanthropy can be maintained (Gilchrist, 2020).…”

Charities—the future as our greatest adventure?

“…First, the extent to which those within the sector are reflective and open to exploring the future. The signs of change are all around us, from an increasingly ageing society, escalating technology (including crypto-currencies and artificial intelligence), and increasingly scarce financial and volunteering resources (Cordery et al, 2017). But if the sector's focus is reactive and short-term, the proactive exploration of opportunities that may emerge from these future drivers, and the scenarios postulated in Cordery et al (2017) will be overlooked, or left unexplored.…”