PHILANTHROPIC STYLES IN THE UNITED-STATES - TOWARD A THEORY OF REGIONAL DIFFERENCES

Our understanding of American philanthropy lacks a well-developed regi onal dimension despite the prevalence of regionalism in so much of Ame rican history and life. The value in exploring regional patterns in gi ving and volunteering among Americans lies in its practical applicatio n for the management and development of nonprofit organizations. A rev iew of the rich literature on American regionalism yields at least one model-Daniel Elazar's delineation of political cultures-that investig ators might employ to uncover regional variations in the ways in which Americans approach and practice philanthropy Distinctive philanthropi c cultures are hypothesized based on Elazar's paradigm and are offered as a regional overlay on current mappings of place-to-place differenc es.