Understanding Our Philanthropic Commons boldly rethinks giving and volunteering as part of a shared resource system - a philanthropic 'commons'. Drawing on the influential frameworks of Elinor and Vincent Ostrom and the Ostrom Workshop, this book equips readers with accessible tools, including the Institutional Analysis and Development (IAD) framework, Social‑Ecological Systems (SES), Institutional Grammar, and Design Principles for self‑governance. Using case studies ranging from giving circles and donor‑advised funds to workplace campaigns and volunteer management, the authors show how rules, norms, and strategies create institutional arrangements that shape philanthropic behaviour. Fresh insights are offered into addressing philanthropic social dilemmas - such as declines in giving and volunteering - amid technological, social, and economic change. This book is ideal for scholars, nonprofit leaders, policy professionals, students seeking to understand how to sustainably govern giving resources, and for anyone interested in philanthropy. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.

'To study the philanthropic commons is to study humanity’s shared gifts. The many disciplines of the many authors contributing to ‘Understanding Our Philanthropic Commons’ illustrate how apt the principles of the Ostrom Workshop are in exploring the give, take and share economy in the charitable sector. A necessary and timely inquiry about communal and contested philanthropic resources.'

Cindy M. Lott - Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy

‘‘Understanding Our Philanthropic Commons’ offers a systematic, timely, and much-needed exploration of philanthropy as a set of community-based institutions and practices.  Building on the commons research of the Ostroms, the editors have produced a book that should inspire scholars, guide policymakers, and bring out the best in practitioners.’

Michael J. Madison - University of Pittsburgh School of Law