Across the world governments are unable to sustain their funding for three core areas—Education, Healthcare and the Arts and the private sector and particularly individuals are being asked to help make up the shortfalls.

What we are seeing emerge is a whole new cadre of engaged philanthropists who are driven by a desire to make a difference, to improve a life, help solve a social ill and make a change for the good.

Philanthropy literally means 'love of mankind' and what these people are showing by their actions is that they genuinely want to have an impact and are willing to commit long term to supporting a project or organization that allows them to do just that.

It is an exciting development that gives our professional staff in Ireland and our Advisory Committee an enthusiastic role in identifying, assessing, recommending and monitoring suitable projects.

For these organizations it means that they have to be more accountable for the investments made in them and be able to clearly account for how the money given to them was spent and what difference it made.

Return on investment is thus measured in lives saved or bettered, social ills improved and problems solved and the ultimate reward for the donor is the satisfaction that that brings.