Letters

 

Putting Gates in perspective

Diana Leat
01 December 2011
Alliance magazine

Thank you for another great issue. Alliance just keeps getting better and better!

My only quibble with the interesting views expressed concerning the Gates Foundation was the general lack of historical understanding of foundations. I realize that foundations – and indeed the non-profit sector more generally – tend to avoid ‘wasting time’ on academic pursuits such as looking back; but not doing so runs the risk of failing to see where we have been before and what we might learn from experience.

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We are all Gates now

Charles Keidan
01 December 2011
Alliance magazine

The emergence of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation as a major force in global public health and US public education should be welcomed by those who believe in the promise of philanthropy to address social issues. As many of the commentators in the last edition of Alliance point out, Gates is changing the landscape in its fields of operation – and the terms of philanthropy itself.

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Does size matter?

Robyn Scott
01 December 2011
Alliance magazine

Thanks must go to Alliance for highlighting one of the most challenging of all issues in philanthropy – the power and influence of significant size; and the freedom that philanthropy enjoys where accountability is not required from voters or shareholders. Posing such questions is rare and generally occurs behind closed doors. What a pleasure to witness the compendium of insightful comments, constructive criticism, questions and legitimate concerns.

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Philanthropists as role models

Marcos Kisil
01 December 2011
Alliance magazine

I would like to congratulate you for the recent issue of Alliance looking at the effect of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation on the ecosystem of philanthropy. The different aspects that were covered by contributors enriched our understanding of the role and responsibilities of a high net worth individual (HNWI). One particular aspect pointed out by the contributors was the issue of accountability – not Gates’ own accountability as a foundation but its contribution to increasing the accountability of the philanthropic sector as a whole.

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Evaluation is the real key to accountability

Charles Erkelens
01 December 2011
Alliance magazine

Thank you for the interesting feature on the Gates Foundation in the last issue of Alliance. Clearly there are some people who remain concerned about the accountability of the Gates Foundation. However, the topic is relevant not just to the Gates Foundation but to any foundation, as size should not matter. The essential question is who can demand what type of accountability from foundations?

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Wrestling with the accountability challenge

Aaron Dorfman
01 December 2011
Alliance magazine

I greatly enjoyed reading the special feature on the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in the September issue of Alliance. Discussing openly issues of accountability and impact related to the foundation is incredibly important, especially because so many people are fearful of speaking publicly about the world’s largest grantmaker.

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Gates’ governance arrangements are not the point

Lisa Jordan
01 December 2011
Alliance magazine

Philanthropy as a field is challenged by accountability. The Gates Foundation being the largest will both bear the brunt of that challenge and shape the solution that most foundations will ultimately adopt. While many eyes are on Gates, it has a real opportunity to improve the accountability of philanthropy – but not through changes in its governance structure, one of the approaches suggested in Alliance.

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A different model of collaboration

Henry Walton
01 September 2011
Alliance magazine

We recently read with great interest your March edition, which focused on the question ‘When does collaboration make sense?’ In response we would like to draw your attention to an example of a different model of collaboration in the form of the Funders Collaborative for Children: Malawi (FCFC).

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The benefits of acting alone

Chet Tchozewski
01 September 2011
Alliance magazine

The special issue of Alliance on donor collaboration (March 2011) was a bit of a shock. I expected the customary ‘happy-glad’ support for donor collaboration, but I was surprised – and pleased – by the critical analysis and insights of Barry Knight and Caroline Hartnell, who call for a sceptical but sensible approach to collaboration, and by the bold position of Richard Best who explains the Joseph Rowntree Foundation’s propensity, under his leadership, to ‘go it alone’ on most grants.

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Onward, Ms Meyer!

Jed Emerson
01 September 2011
Alliance magazine

What a pleasure it was to read Bonny Meyer’s personal account of her journey to mobilize all her assets for impact in the June issue of Alliance!

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