New philanthropy means more than donating money and writing checks. It entails efforts to influence the policies and programs of nonprofit organizations through involvement and intervention. Some nonprofit organizations have accepted this approach, with the understanding that it ensures them of resources. With the current economic crisis, those resources are in danger of drying up, and programs which were partially funded in the past by philanthropists are in danger of being reduced or even discarded. With all due respect to the activities of wealthy philanthropists, it is clear that they will channel their efforts toward preserving their own capital before they provide financial support to ensure the survival of nonprofit organizations…

from remarks by Prof. Hillel Schmid, Hebrew University Center for the Study of Philanthropy in Israel; Conference on Jewish Philanthropy and the Israeli Third Sector in a Changing Environment, November 16, 2008