Since 2001, the international family of institutions established by Andrew Carnegie have sought to inspire a culture of giving by awarding the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy. In 2019, the biennial award ceremony took on added significance as it marked the centenary of Carnegie’s death, providing an occasion to pay tribute to their founder’s legacy while also honoring those who carry on his commitment to “doing real and permanent good in the world.”

In planning for the event, we were mindful that philanthropy is being confronted with serious and valid questions. Is philanthropy doing enough? Is the model Andrew Carnegie created still relevant in a world where so much wealth remains concentrated in the hands of so few? To address that, we worked with SKDKnickerbocker to develop a communications strategy focused on the power of philanthropy to change lives and communities. Rather than producing traditional biographical videos for each recipient, we highlighted an individual beneficiary of their giving. Together, the videos illustrated how the medalists are making the world cleaner, healthier, safer, and more equitable for generations to come.

The stories were moving and delivered precisely the impact we were trying to achieve. Multiple event attendees reported that it was the best Carnegie Medal ceremony they’d ever experienced, and one past medalist enthusiastically endorsed the new approach, saying: “It’s all about the work!”

In 2022, we continued to share inspiring impact-focused video stories celebrating the lives and communities transformed by the medalists’ giving. At my suggestion, we also launched a new recognition — the Carnegie Catalyst Award — to honor World Central Kitchen for its exceptionally effective ability to activate people’s desire to help others, especially during times of crisis. The introduction of the Catalyst Award helped broaden the definition of philanthropy to include those who give generously of their time, talent, and expertise while also showcasing how philanthropy makes the work of high-impact nonprofits like World Central Kitchen possible. And we celebrated that work by sharing the same kind of human-centered stories we produced for our medalists, in this case highlighting two volunteers who have served 100,000 meals in the Chicago area.

The induction of Dolly Parton, who I nominated as a 2022 Medal of Philanthropy honoree, generated unprecedented interest in the ceremony, with exclusive Associated Press coverage of the announcement and ceremony reaching billions of readers and television viewers around the United States and the world.