You're currently viewing:
Opinions
What I know now
Some 17 years ago, as an international funder Peter Laugharn penned a letter to an imagined colleague new to the field. Here he writes a follow-up letter from his vantage point as president and CEO …
Experience is a profound teacher
Reflections from a diverse group of celebrated philanthropy practitioners on the key lessons learned from the past 25 years working in the sector Blurred lines of profit and not-for-profit Atallah Kuttab, founder SAANED for Philanthropy …
Homegrown philanthropy
The burgeoning of philanthropy in emerging market economies is rooted in the development of organisational infrastructure When I joined a newly established Moscow office of the Ford Foundation in early 1996, everything was clear: there …
Coverage of philanthropy comes of age
Philanthropy media and communications infrastructure is poised for growth but there’s still work to do A specialist philanthropy sector media is on the brink of maturity. In common with philanthropy infrastructure in general, the most …
Under the same roof, but not (yet) in connubial bliss: philanthropy and global development
While policymakers and philanthropists both support sustainable development and social justice, prior to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), they had been doing so on parallel tracks. Now the SDGs are part of philanthropy’s shared language. …
A new era for African philanthropy research
Academics with an interest in the African philanthropy landscape will gather at the International Society for Third Sector Research (ISTR) conference in Accra, Ghana from 21–24 June. It is a gathering that is overdue. One …
Strategy for breakfast?
‘Culture eats strategy for breakfast.’ This remark by Peter Drucker is quoted by people who see culture at the heart of all successful institutions. The values of the organization and the way employees collaborate and …
Foundations have no need to fear minimum payouts
I have observed with interest the debate playing out in Alliance magazine on whether UK foundations should have a minimum payout. The debate is an important one because it relates directly to the legitimacy of …
Foundations should be more transparent but payouts are not the answer
The issue of mandatory payout for UK foundations is re-emerging as a hot topic of debate. The suggestion of enforcing a blanket minimum payout (generally drawing from North American models and arbitrarily taking 5 per …
Why we need to talk about payouts
Why is the amount of money that charitable foundations pay out each year important? The term for this – ‘payout ratio’ – can sound dry and technical. However, questions about payout ratios go to the …
