Claim: Nelson Mandela participated in philanthropy.

Philanthropy -LRB- from Greek φιλανθρωπία -RRB- means etymologically , the love of humanity , in the sense of caring , nourishing , developing , and enhancing what it means to be human . In this meaning , it involves both the benefactor in their identifying and exercising their values , and the beneficiary in their receipt and benefit from the service or goods provided . A conventional modern definition is `` private initiatives , for the public good , focusing on quality of life , '' which combines an original humanistic tradition with a social scientific aspect developed in the 20th century . The definition also serves to contrast philanthropy with business endeavors , which are private initiatives for private good , e.g. , focusing on material gain , and with government endeavors , which are public initiatives for public good , e.g. , focusing on provision of public services . A person who practices philanthropy is called a philanthropist .   Philanthropy has distinguishing characteristics charity ; not all charity is philanthropy , or vice versa , though there is a recognized degree of overlap in practice . A difference commonly cited is that charity aims to relieve the pain of a particular social problem , whereas philanthropy attempts to address the root cause of the problem -- the difference between the proverbial gift of a fish to a hungry person , versus teaching them how to fish .