The Boston College researchers join such notable figures as Microsoft Inc. Chairman Bill Gates, AOL Time-Warner Foundation Executive Director David Eisner, AFL-CIO Executive Vice President Linda Chavez-Thompson and Millard Fuller, founder and president of Habitat for Humanity International, who also were recognized by NonProfit Times. This marks the second consecutive appearance on the list for Schervish, who spent last year as a resident Fulbright Scholar in applied philanthropy at University College Cork.
"Few researchers have the human touch and insight of Schervish," read the NonProfit Times citation. "Research is just numbers until he interprets it and then makes the keen insights available to practitioners."
The publication also credited Havens for his part in breaking down "certain firmly and widely held misconceptions about giving. He is also one of the first researchers to insist on using wealth in addition to income as a measure of capacity to give."
Schervish and Havens have headed the SWRI for 16 years, during which time it has become the recognized authority on individual charitable giving, philanthropy by the wealthy, and wealth transfer.
Among the institute's most celebrated projects are the groundbreaking "Study on Wealth and Philanthropy" directed by Schervish, a series of interviews with the wealthy about living and giving, and the 2001 High-Tech Donors Study, based on in-depth interviews with high-tech millionaires concerning their attitudes towards philanthropy.
The article is available on-line at http://www.nptimes.com/Aug01/sr1.html.
-Sean Smith