September 2017

Philanthropy's diversity challenge

Volume 22 , Number 3

PDF - £10.00 Hard copy (£15.00)

Close

September 2017

Philanthropy's diversity challenge

Volume 22 , Number 3

more details

Discounts
  • 5+ magazines and you'll get 20% off
  • 10+ magazines and you'll get 35% off
  • 15+ magazines and you'll get 45% off
  • 20+ magazines and you'll get 50% off
Add To Basket

Philanthropy’s diversity challenge

‘Nothing about us without us’ was a slogan coined by disability rights activists to communicate the idea that no policy should be decided by any representative without the full and direct participation of members of the group(s) affected.

Many working in philanthropy would be sympathetic to this principle. Being in touch with the people you aim to serve is not just a sound moral imperative but also likely to make an effective philanthropic strategy. A lack of diversity on boards and at staff level ‘probably limits their intelligence about what is happening on the ground’ notes European Foundation Centre Chief Executive, Gerry Salole, who suggests that foundations would be well advised to ‘reflect the streets.’

Yet, judging by the contributions to this issue, philanthropy’s own workforce remains dogged by a lack of diversity, representation and inclusion. Gaps between richer/whiter people (the foundations) and poorer/darker people (the beneficiaries) emerge strongly.

In this issue, our guest editor’s and contributors offer perspectives from India, Indonesia, South East Asia, Europe and the US. They document the lack of diversity in foundations, why they see this as problematic and what they think should be done. There are some bold and provocative proposals. Their challenge to philanthropy is: if you want to do the most good, you need to reflect the make-up of wider society. To an alarming number of its own practitioners, philanthropy simply appears out of touch.

Your subscription enables Alliance to continue hold up a mirror to philanthropy worldwide. We hope you enjoy the view.

Subscribe to Alliance and join the debate.

Special feature

Nothing about us without us – philanthropy’s diversity challenge

5 September 2017
Sumitra Mishra and Angela Seay

This issue of Alliance investigates philanthropy’s diversity predicament. How can philanthropy do the most good if it doesn’t reflect the society it seeks to serve? Our guest editors, Sumitra Mishra and Angela Seay, ask some hard questions. In India, strength should lie in diversity Sumitra Mishra Where does one begin a conversation about diversity in the highest levels of decision-making among foundations in India? When I started this dialogue with representatives of a few organizations, it …

Editorial

Philanthropy reflects the elites not the streets 

5 September 2017
Charles Keidan

‘Nothing about us without us’ was a slogan coined by disability rights activists to communicate the idea that no policy should be decided by any representative without the full and direct participation of members of the group(s) affected. Many working in philanthropy would be sympathetic to this principle. Being in touch with the people you aim to serve is not just a sound moral imperative but also likely to make an effective philanthropic strategy. A lack of diversity on boards and at staff level ‘probably limits their intelligence about what …

Special feature

Letters

Foundations should not accept compromise 

James Corah

It was encouraging to read Andrew Milner’s article ‘What happens to the rest of it? How foundations make investments’. Whether it be through applying negative …

Investing for positive change 

Casey Verbeck

Andrew Milner’s piece ‘What happens to the rest of it? How foundations make investments’ does a very good job of identifying how foundations …

Investment managers focus on asset gathering above missions 

Sunny Mann

Our experience has shown us that foundations have struggled with the issues raised within Andrew Milner’s article on foundation investments ‘What happens to the rest …

 
Become a subscriber Join our print or online subscription and access our entire archive issues
Subscribe