Like Simon Sommer says of himself, I may not know what trust-based philanthropy is. But I have a good idea of where he goes wrong. Let’s set aside the broad generalizations (‘unrestricted funding seems to be the only [kind] allowed…’; trust-based philanthropy is a myth because – gotcha! – its proponents also do some due diligence). Set aside the idea that only trust-based philanthropists are biased in favour of those they already fund. And please, …

Dear Veritas, I am in a leadership role at an organisation that has been struggling to get fully staffed for months, thanks to the overall competition for labour where we are located. We do our best with pay and benefits, but we can’t offer more than what we currently do – and candidates are demanding more. Having more employees on staff would make it easier to commit more time to funding applications to pay them …

Dear Regi, How can we find foundations that are ready to fund activities in a post-Soviet country? We want to build a society with more initiatives, more qualitative education, more solidarity with poor peoples, more unity between the West and East, or an agricultural system in full respect with nature, and so on… How do we make ourselves attractive to funders? Sincerely,Post Soviet Dear Post Soviet Have you ever heard of George Soros? Just saying, …

Dear Regi, I’m being bullied by an ex-colleague, who incidentally has left the organisation in breach of their legal contract. If I speak out about the situation, it will create more drama for the wider circle, but I’m starting to crack by not speaking. Sincerely, Disgruntled Former Colleague Dear “I Have A Disgruntled Former Colleague”, I think it’s fair to speak out about the drama: this is philanthropy, not Days Of Our Lives, and we …