Organized philanthropy is an intervention, not an easy act of charity. The GoodWork Study of Philanthropy goes beyond the assumption that all philanthropic interventions are by definition good and examines more carefully what it means to do excellent, ethical, and engaging work in the field of philanthropy. Interviews were conducted with 165 individuals working in philanthropy or in nonprofit organizations supported by foundations. In both phases of the project, participants were chosen for interviews because of their professional success and/or their reputations within the field, or because of their involvement with the nonprofit organizations in the case studies.

In Phase I of the study (2001-2003), we focused on the work of large, traditional foundations. We interviewed 36 individuals involved in major foundations, including donors, board members, foundation presidents, and program officers.

In Phase II (2003-2005), we expanded our inquiry in several ways:

• Emerging trends: We investigated five emerging trends in philanthropy: venture philanthropy, donor advised funds, electronic philanthropy, the funding of social entrepreneurs, and the funding of ideas.

• Case studies of funder-grantee relationships: We conducted four case studies of nonprofit organizations and their funders to examine the impact that multiple funding streams can have on an organization.

• Change in philanthropy: In order to understand how change occurs in the philanthropic world, we conducted two case studies of individual foundations that were in the process of restructuring their philanthropic giving. We also interviewed

• Donors: We interviewed individual philanthropic donors to assess the impact that philanthropic giving has on their lives.