Opinion

 

Do people value what they receive for free?
Kerry Brennan

Do people value what they receive for free?

Kerry Brennan and Daniel Tello
1 March 2010
Alliance magazine

If you’ve ever sat through to the end of a bad movie simply because you didn’t want to ‘waste’ the money you spent on the ticket, you’re not alone. Many people assume that paying for something will make you more likely to use it, while items given away for free are undervalued and less likely to be used. These seemingly harmless assumptions have a big impact on current debates over how health products should be delivered to the poor. Click here to read ...


Investors' perspectives - Connecting mission and investment policy
Boudewijn de Blij

Investors' perspectives - Connecting mission and investment policy

Boudewijn de Blij
1 March 2010
Alliance magazine

In March 2007, a Dutch TV programme revealed that the Dutch Cancer Foundation had some of its capital invested in cigarette companies and that quite a few pension funds were invested in companies manufacturing landmines and cluster bombs. These revelations spurred a heated debate in many quarters, including the boardroom of Fund 1818, about where the funds of charitable institutions and pension funds should be invested. Click here to read ...


Beyond hero worship – a Stranglers’ theme tune for Skoll
Tommy Hutchinson

Beyond hero worship – a Stranglers’ theme tune for Skoll

Tommy Hutchinson
1 March 2010
Alliance magazine

The Skoll Forum is the time of year when half the world – the world of social enterprise, that is – seems to descend on England and for a few days everyone marvels at the wonderful social businesses on show and finds a host of new heroes to champion. Click here to read ...


Advisers’ Perspectives - A nascent field but growing
Betsy Brill

Advisers’ Perspectives - A nascent field but growing

Betsy Brill and Hilda Vega
1 March 2010
Alliance magazine

For those of us in the field of philanthropic advice, it is exciting to see the growth in attention that the topic is receiving.[1] However, this area is still not widely recognized or well understood, so it seems appropriate for the first instalment of a column on philanthropic advice to provide an overview (by no means comprehensive) of the general landscape of the field.    Click here to read ...


The holy grail of ‘impact’
Bruce Sievers

The holy grail of ‘impact’

Bruce Sievers
1 March 2010
Alliance magazine

‘With money tight, top philanthropists insist on more bang for the buck’ reads a recent headline in Barron’s business magazine.[1] These days, to read Barron’s and many other business publications, one would think that at last the key to great philanthropy had been found.   Click here to read ...


Do matching grants really work?
Dean Karlan

Do matching grants really work?

Dean Karlan and Kareem Haggag
1 December 2009
Alliance magazine

Many foundations and non-profits run campaigns to increase public awareness of a particular issue and to motivate donations. Recently, some foundations have also begun thinking of their donations as a catalyst enabling a non-profit to raise even more funds from other donors. Similarly, non-profits often approach foundations seeking a gift that they can use to motivate other givers. Click here to read ...


Investors’ Perspectives - Taking risks
Maureen Stapleton

Investors’ Perspectives - Taking risks

Maureen Stapleton
1 December 2009
Alliance magazine

Is taking a risk with an impact investment different from taking a risk with a traditional investment? At Bank underground station, in the heart of London’s financial district, there are several billboards advertising a variety of investments to travellers. All of them have the same caveat at the bottom: Please note the value of an investment can go up as well as down, and the value of the investment is not guaranteed. Click here to read ...


Fix the plumbing
Barry Gaberman

Fix the plumbing

Barry Gaberman
1 December 2009
Alliance magazine

Alliance will be changing to having a greater mix of columnists with the next issue so this will be my last piece under the old regime. Given that it is the last piece, it seems fitting that it be on the subject of the global infrastructure of civil society and philanthropy – in particular, the threat this infrastructure is facing. Helping build and support this infrastructure occupied much of my time while at the Ford Foundation. Click here to read ...


Investors’ Perspectives - Making sustainable investing work
Maureen Stapleton

Investors’ Perspectives - Making sustainable investing work

Maureen Stapleton
1 September 2009
Alliance magazine

Social investing. Ethical investments. Sustainable and responsible investing (SRI). These are a variety of terms in the current financial landscape that all mean similar things: investors who are looking for more meaningful investments. But is it a concept that actually works? Sustainable Investing: The art of long-term performance, a book edited by Cary Krosinsky and Nick Robins, tries to find out. Click here to read ...


Obama mania: managing expectations
Barry Gaberman

Obama mania: managing expectations

Barry Gaberman
1 September 2009
Alliance magazine

Ever since it became clear that Barack Obama would be the next president of the United States, there has been an unprecedented euphoria among civil society and philanthropy practitioners. Not since these practitioners began to sense themselves a genuine sector of society taking their place alongside the public sector and the for-profit sector almost 40 years ago have we seen this kind of excitement. The promise of unlimited access and substantial influence can almost be tasted. Click here to read ...


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