Author Archive:

Dana R. H. Doan

Analysis Pham Truong Son, Dana R. H. Doan and Mark Sidel 21 February 2022

Philanthropy after Covid: what can we learn from Vietnam?

Did Covid help revitalise philanthropy and civil society in authoritarian societies, giving them broadened roles in society? Or has the crisis been an opportunity for governments to further reign in and restrict philanthropic and nonprofit …

Opinion 3 Dana R. H. Doan 13 October 2021

How should we measure the impact of philanthropy that supports community-led change?

This article is part of a series of articles about Community-Led Philanthropy, co-hosted by GlobalGiving. The conversation explores the ways philanthropy can support community-led change. The pressure to provide evidence of social impact has grown steadily …

Analysis Dana R. H. Doan and Phuong Anh Nguyen 4 December 2018

Two steps forward, one step back in Vietnam

The development of favourable conditions for philanthropy in Vietnam is not keeping pace with the potential generosity of its people Mutual assistance and charitable acts in times of need is a Vietnamese tradition, and an …

Analysis Dana R. H. Doan 18 May 2018

Motivated to #ShiftThePower in nonprofit evaluations

As I read GrantCraft’s latest report, “How Community Philanthropy Shifts Power: What Donors Can Do to Help Make That Happen,” I found myself scribbling down thoughts relating to nonprofit performance evaluations. Less than a week …

Letter Dana R. H. Doan 7 March 2017

Measuring small-scale contributions to the SDGs

The December issue of Alliance focused on the topic of community philanthropy and the concept of ‘durable development’ – shifting power closer to the ground and giving agency to local people and their organizations. Here, …

Conference reports Dana R. H. Doan 5 December 2016

On Language and Power

I walked into the Global Summit for Community Philanthropy breakout session on narrative and language a bit late and yet my heart started racing as soon as I overheard the inter-related issues the discussion sought to address… …

Special feature Dana R. H. Doan 29 November 2016

Case study: Developing community philanthropy in Vietnam – part-way there

LIN Center for Community Development (LIN) was set up in Ho Chi Minh City in 2009 to ensure that local people were actively involved in addressing local problems. As such, one of its objectives was …

Conference reports Dana R. H. Doan 6 May 2014

Just Giving conference 2014: can we achieve a just transition without companies?

The second day of the conference plagued me with a constant, badgering question. How can we achieve a just transition if we do (not) involve companies in our efforts? The opening plenary for the day …

Conference reports Dana R. H. Doan 1 May 2014

Just Giving conference 2014 Day 1: ‘What Side Are You On?’

The Just Giving conference started with an adapted version of the union organizing song ‘What Side Are You On?’ Little did I realize at the time how much that little ditty would affect me throughout …