Our understanding of American philanthropy lacks a well-developed regional dimension despite the prevalence of regionalism in so much of American history and life. The value in exploring regional patterns in giving and volunteering among Americans lies in its practical application for the management and development of nonprofit organizations. A review of the rich literature on American regionalism yields at least one model-Daniel Elazar's delineation of political cultures-that investigators might employ to uncover regional variations in the ways in which Americans approach and practice philanthropy. Distinctive philanthropic cultures are hypothesized based on Elazar's paradigm and are offered as a regional overlay on current mappings of place-to-place differences.
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