Irvin, Renee A.2018-08-162018-08-162010Irvin, Renee A. (2010). Definition and Management of Endowment. In H. Anheier and S. Toepler (Eds.), International Encyclopedia of Civil Society. (pp. 632-636). New York: Springer Publications.https://hdl.handle.net/1794/23594https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5038-15916 pagesEndowment, in the vernacular, can refer to any asset of substance that allows a person, organization or country to excel in their pursuits of business or leisure. For example, economists specializing in international trade describe a country as having an “endowment” of abundant land for agricultural crops. A man or woman can be described as “well-endowed”, but this implies a topic more risque than a generous trust fund or accumulated retirement savings. Nonprofit sector “endowment” is analogous to a savings account. Organizations may have endowments of other types of assets (a beautiful campus, historic facilities, etc.), but their financial endowment is our primary focus.enCreative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0-USEndowmentsDefinitionsNonprofit financeNonprofit sectorOther10.1007/978-0-387-93996-4_166