We open a new volume of The Philanthropist on a different footing: quarterly if possible, but not necessarily quarterly.
In the early years under founding editor Bertha Wilson and her successor Mary Louise Dickson it was the journal’s policy to publish “sporadically”, whenever a sufficient number of quality articles had been submitted. ·
In the heady 80s editor Lyn Bevan found a quarterly committment had become possible. Now, with the pressures being experienced by authors from the legal and accounting professions as well as difficult times in the entire Third Sector, it is apparent that if quality is to be maintained a less rigid publishing schedule will have to be observed.
Naturally, subscribers will still receive their full four issues per subscription. This issue brings reports of other changes and charities’ responses to them.
Two articles report on surveys of the sector and the challenges of leadership that it faces. Dr. John Por challenges boards to go beyond vague and hopeful analysis to practical system planning. Professor Bowlby and his colleagues compare charities that depend heavily on government funding and those free from such funding, and finds some interesting and not always self-evident differences that may become increasingly important as government offloads programs to private providers.
Wayne Stewart tells us one method of facing the long term-endowmentsand stresses that failure to deal with the long term because of immediate crises is neither necessary nor wise.
Both government and private sector services seem to be hoping that people’s willingness to gamble will continue to produce funds for them. Our final long article decribes the legal regime governing lotteries. The author makes the case that charities should consider running “non-charitable” lotteries to avoid the restrictions and red tape that surround lottery licensing for charities.
To add one note of hope, Elizabeth Rhind notes a current very successful new “niche” fund-raising venture for an established charity.
These and other articles in hand for future issues promise to make Volume XII well worth the wait.
John D. Gregory
Editor
