Philanthropist Dame Stephanie Shirley has launched a new online membership organisation and website to promote philanthropy across the world and give philanthropists a voice. Gordon Brown appointed Dame Stephanie, billed onsite as ‘The British Government’s Founding Ambassador for Philanthropy’, as Ambassador for Philanthropy in 2009 when he was Prime Minister.

The aim of the organisation is to encourage governments around the world to appoint philanthropy ambassadors. Ambassadors for Philanthropy’s co-founder and chief executive Roberta d'Eustachio, says: “Our aim is to give philanthropists a voice. We want philanthropists to start talking about what they are doing and why they are doing it.”

The objective is for 54 countries to each appoint a director, who will sell membership and sponsorship to help fund Ambassadors for Philanthropy. So far, Dame Stephanie has invested more than £1.5m of her own money to fund the site and d'Eustachio has also contributed.Dame Stephanie made her fortune by setting up the software company, Xansa. She has donated more than $85m to charitable causes and social investments and her story is featured on the new site.

Ambassadors for Philanthropy is registered as a private limited company in the UK under the name the Giving Project Ltd. d'Eustachio says the company is a social enterprise and profits will be spent on growing the business.

The plan is for it to grow quickly and to have 5,000 members, comprising philanthropists, charities and non-profits and philanthropy advisors, by December 2011 and 10,000 to 30,000 by the end of 2012.

The initial response to Dame Stephanie’s invite to join has been healthy with 30 signing up as members in the first five minutes. Philanthropists can join the site to network with peers and find out about projects they could fund.

Member charitable organisations can use the site to promote projects by creating microsites or using a video application to tell their stories. Philanthropic advisory practices can also apply for an invitation to join.

All members will receive 20 copies a year of an electronic ‘Giving’ magazine, which will have 40 to 50 pages. The first will be issued in the first quarter of next year. d'Eustachiosays: “We will be providing objective information. We tend to put people on pedestals and think they are good just because they are giving. We want to dissect what is going on. Non-profits can’t afford to do this.”

There will also be a global philanthropy summit in March 2013 with live streaming. d'Eustachio says this will give philanthropists the opportunity to talk strategically about philanthropy and the culture of giving in their countries. 

Visit the Philanthropy for Ambassadors site at www.ambassadorsforphilanthropy.com.