At the beginning of his book, author Jon Duschinsky humbly suggests that the reader suspends any preconceptions held regarding globalization trends and their impact on fundraising and the development of philanthropy around the world.

He reminds us how much the world has changed in the past few years. Just ten years ago, how many of us had an iPhone, iPod or lightweight notebook computer. How many of us complained because of the number of emails we received? Who had a Facebook page or stopped on the way to work to pick up a skinny latte while checking multiple email accounts with their BlackBerry? He starts from the hypothesis that everything we think we know about tomorrow is very likely to be wrong...and then we shouldn't be too far from the truth.

What makes a pancake?

In a philanthropic context, Duschinsky identifies four trends that have acted as flatteners, playing an important role in moving us towards a globalized society. In the following brief excerpt he examines the impact of new technologies:

Technology has arguably been the most vital catalyst in creating the flat world. It has allowed each and every one of us to work anywhere and to be in contact with the rest of the world 24/7. At the end of the day, challenge yourself to think about how long it might have taken you to achieve everything that you have done in one day without your PC, the Internet, software and telecommunications.

If the exponential growth in computing power carries on as predicted, by 2050 a home PC will be able to carry out more calculations per second than the combined brains of every human on the planet! This has huge implications for the world we live in. By the time you finish your next three-year strategic plan, you could be, in theory, talking to a completely different audience of potential supporters.

 
Don't delay. Get your copy of Philanthropy in a Flat World, by Jon Duschinsky by clicking here.