Dr Karl Wilding

Lecturer in Philanthropic Studies
Email
k.wilding@kent.ac.uk
Dr Karl Wilding

About

Karl is a part-time Lecturer in Philanthropic Studies at the University of Kent, Kent Business School. He works within the Centre for Philanthropy, which explores philanthropic activities, social patterns of giving and the redistributive impact of transfers from private wealth to the public good. A former CEO and director of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations, he brings two decades of experience working in public policy, including extensive collaboration with the academic community. Karl joined NCVO's research team following a PhD exploring mutual aid and health care provision in the Victorian period.
He is also a practising consultant working across the public, private and voluntary sectors on strategy, governance and public policy issues. He is a director at MyCake,
a trustee of Communities 1st, and a board member at Creating the Future, a US-based non-profit. 

Research interests

Karl's research interests focus on philanthropy, charitable giving and the role and
scope of the voluntary (non-profit) sector. His recent work includes an exploration of the federation model for voluntary organisations, with Rob MacMillan and Lorna Dowrick of Sheffield Hallam University. In 2023 he started working on Moonshot Philanthropy, led by Professor Beth Breeze.     

Teaching

Karl teaches on the MA in Philanthropy, covering all topics relating to philanthropy, volunteering, the voluntary sector and broader civil society, and social research methods. His teaching experience includes modules on the voluntary sector, public policy, CSR and social impact assessment.
Undergraduate
Postgraduate
  • Fundamentals of Philanthropy (SOCI8080)
  • Research Methods for Philanthropic Studies (SOCI8000)
  • Dissertation in Philanthropic Studies (SOCI8001)
  • Volunteering and Society (SOCI9570)    

Supervision

Karl is interested in PhD candidates who wish to explore any aspect of volunteering, the voluntary sector, philanthropy, and broader civil society. He is particularly interested in proposals that explore the changing role of civil society and the relationship between the voluntary sector, volunteering and public policy. 


He is currently supervising doctoral students working on:
  • the role of the voluntary sector in the delivery of public services
  • legacy income and social justice in UK higher education
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