Redemptive Philanthropy #FaithBasedGiving

At the TBN Asia Conference 2024 in September, there was a plenary session on “Redemptive Philanthropy”. While you may roll your eyes at yet another seemingly new name to describe philanthropy, if you’re a faith-based giver, think about this a little deeper, because which faith doesn’t have a redemption element to it? 

Charitable giving has been called a zero-sum game. Newer options like trust-based philanthropy evolved to the “win-win” mentality. Redemptive philanthropy, is the “I serve, we win” mentality – moving away from the scarcity mentality to one of abundance. Redemption is the act of restoration. Through the transformative act of philanthropy, both the giver and the receiver are restored to wholeness, or what is oftentimes referred to as human flourishing. 

In redemptive philanthropy, the power dynamic is upended as the giver not only gives resources, but also gives of themselves. As redemptive philanthropists draw near, instead of dispensing philanthropy from a distance, they understand that it’s not just about deploying capital from the top down, but also serving from the ground up. The redemptive philanthropist builds enterprises, not buys outcomes. 

They say money is power, we often forget that knowledge is power too. Giver and receiver each bring their form of capital to the table – none is more powerful than the other, because success depends on both forms of capital. Through humility and grace, the playing field is levelled and strengthened.  

“Not transactional, but transformational…” we hear this phrase being thrown around a lot. Theoretically, it makes total sense. Practically, how does that work? Try redemptive philanthropy, you might surprise yourself. I serve, we win. It doesn’t get any more transformational than that.