Marketing‐driven philanthropy: the case of PlayPumps

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate, through a comparative historical analysis, the impact of a shift to a marketing‐driven (business‐oriented) philanthropic funding structure on NGOs, international businesses that fund charities, and the recipients of the funding for a water pump system in southern Africa.

Design/methodology/approach

The study deconstructs and dissects the introduction and acceptance of the PlayPumps water pump system by generating four historical funding‐structure models that typified the philanthropic funding at the time. Each time period is critically examined to investigate how changes toward marketing‐driven philanthropy affected the viability of the project.

Findings

The key finding is that by shifting to a marketing‐driven (business‐oriented) philanthropic funding structure, NGOs risk fundamentally disconnecting the funders and the recipients of the funding. Serious concerns arise regarding the role of businesses in driving the “overcommercialisation” of marketing‐driven philanthropy.

Research limitations/implications

The funding‐structure models highlight some of the hidden costs of marketing‐driven philanthropic funding, but do not show what funding structure would be most efficient in better connecting international businesses and consumers with the charities they are supporting.

Originality/value

This analysis examines the underexplored intersection of business, marketing, consumerism and philanthropy.

Citation

Graham Saunders, S. and Borland, R. (2013), "Marketing‐driven philanthropy: the case of PlayPumps", European Business Review, Vol. 25 No. 4, pp. 321-335. https://doi.org/10.1108/EBR-02-2013-0011