Opinion

 

Investors’ perspectives - Bridging the valley of death
Eoghan Mackie

Investors’ perspectives - Bridging the valley of death

Eoghan Mackie
01 December 2011
Alliance magazine

A number of people writing about social investment have used the term ‘valley of death’, including Simon Desjardins, writing in Alliance in June 2011, who wrote of ‘the valley of death between concept stage and commercial funding that plagues the social enterprise sector globally’. The approach Challenges Worldwide offers to bridge this valley is a combination of business development and investment support for small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

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Advisers’ perspectives - Philanthropy, advocacy and systemic change
Judith Symonds

Advisers’ perspectives - Philanthropy, advocacy and systemic change

Judith Symonds
01 December 2011
Alliance magazine

If the principal goals of philanthropy are to help resolve societal problems, serve the ‘public good’ and bring about sustainable systemic change, then advocacy is an essential element in achieving these goals. Indeed, Gara La Marche, former president of Atlantic Philanthropies, believes that ‘funding advocacy and advocates is the most direct route to supporting enduring social change for the poor, the disenfranchised and the most vulnerable among us, including the youngest and oldest in our communities.’[1]

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Gorillas in the midst: foundation accountability in a networked age
Jacob Harold

Gorillas in the midst: foundation accountability in a networked age

Jacob Harold
01 December 2011
Alliance magazine

Gorillas – whether or not of the 800-pound variety – are powerful creatures. The presence of a gorilla on the cover of the last issue of Alliance was a winking reference to the sheer size of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Indeed, foundations have a bit in common with gorillas: powerful, independent and rather unaccountable.

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Advisers’ perspectives − Growing confidence and self-confidence in a youthful field
Samantha Beinhacker

Advisers’ perspectives − Growing confidence and self-confidence in a youthful field

Samantha Beinhacker and Wayne Farmer
01 September 2011
Alliance magazine

Over the last few years we have seen a dramatic increase in the number and quality of professional philanthropy advisory firms in the United States. This is now being mirrored globally. Several factors have contributed to this increasing awareness of what philanthropy advisers can offer and demand for these services.

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Investors’ perspectives − Reflections on Bihar from a UK impact investor
Audrey Selian

Investors’ perspectives − Reflections on Bihar from a UK impact investor

Audrey Selian
01 September 2011
Alliance magazine

The June issue of Alliance was totally illuminating, even for a European-based impact investor whose focus is solely on India. Despite my familiarity with existing ‘impact investment’ opportunities in the country, I found the profiling of the state of Bihar extremely exciting and compelling.

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Investors’ perspectives − Bankrolling the emerging free press

Anna Reitman
01 September 2011
Alliance magazine

Shortly after Zimbabwe’s power-sharing agreement between President Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai a few years ago, citizens in the country were reintroduced to an independent daily newspaper – the first in seven years.

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Putting philanthropy on the front page
Martin Brookes

Putting philanthropy on the front page

Martin Brookes
01 September 2011
Alliance magazine

‘Making philanthropy mainstream’ is one way I am often tempted to answer the question of what New Philanthropy Capital (NPC) is trying to achieve. I usually resist this temptation because it begs so many questions. But it is my private strapline for NPC.

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Philanthropy’s blind spot
Lester M Salamon

Philanthropy’s blind spot

Lester M Salamon
01 September 2011
Alliance magazine

It is widely recognized among social psychologists that beliefs have a bigger impact on what we see of reality than does reality itself. In other words, our systems of belief filter what we see, creating huge blind spots. Whether intentionally or not, Alliance has recently given us an excellent illustration of this in the context of philanthropy.

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Why bother with a theory of change?
David Pritchard

Why bother with a theory of change?

David Pritchard
09 June 2011
www.alliancemagazine.org

As a recent guest on BBC Radio’s Desert Island Discs, Martin Sheen described why he is a social activist. He said that he never expects to change anyone’s mind through his activism. He does what he does because he has to, it is right. That is not enough for me, and I suspect, not enough for many who work in the charitable sector. There is nothing wrong with being motivated by principle and values alone. But I imagine most of us need to make a difference. If I was not making a difference, I would go somewhere else that pays more! Click here to read ...


Investors' perspectives - Aiming for full portfolio activation
Bonny Meyer

Investors' perspectives - Aiming for full portfolio activation

Bonny Meyer
1 June 2011
Alliance magazine

I have just spent three days at PlayBIG with some of the most progressive philanthropists and investors on the planet. It was a diverse group: some had inherited great fortunes, some had made them; some had foundations, some had donor-advised funds. But we were all there because we were passionate about doing as much good with our money as we possibly could. Together, we were exploring the possibility of ‘full portfolio activation’, not limiting ourselves to philanthropy but using all of our financial assets to support positive change in the world.

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