From fragments to a mosaic: a profession in search of standards

Melissa Berman, the President of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, offers her thoughts on the professionalization of philanthropy advisors in this article for the September issue of Alliance Magazine. "We’re frequently asked by various observers of private philanthropy – the media, attorneys, etc – about the ‘proliferation’ of philanthropic advisers. I think most of us who are active in this field see it differently: compared to the numbers of other professional advisers to the ultra-wealthy, and compared to the actual (much less potential) amount of philanthropy, there’s a scanty supply of advisers. Few organizations have managed to grow beyond a dozen staff... Why is this field still so small, given all the attention to and growth in philanthropy over the last 10 to 15 years? In my view, it all boils down to the widely held view that private philanthropy is not something that requires professional expertise."