Philanthropy Impact Magazine

Winter 2013

Philanthropy Impact Magazine

Magazine
This year time seems to have disappeared at warp speed as we have reached Issue 4: December 2013! Our aim has been to present our readers with a depth and breadth of articles and information on and about philanthropy that generates vigorous international debate.
 
Since our first issue you, our readers and authors, have provided such positive feedback and we hope you this ‘bumper issue’ to your liking.
 
This edition opens with David Gold discussing the ‘dark side’ of philanthropy. 2013 saw social investment became the ‘hot’ topic, and in this issue we feature the UK deal of the year, and Arthur Wood the role of social investment in building resilience to natural disaster.
 
This issue also takes a deep dive into philosophical world of philanthropy. Michael Green explores the pros and cons of endowment and spend out foundations, Amy Schiller asks can billionaire philanthropists save the world?, and Russell Willis Taylor wonders if brand philanthropy is distorting the very essence of giving.
 
Muslim philanthropy is increasingly being discussed. We offer a brief historical overview and ten key points, as well as case studies from the Maldives and Pakistan.
 
We also consider the role of philanthropy in tackling poverty. Paul Polak and Mal Warwick believe that giving can’t save the world, whilst the article Cash to the Poor: Pennies from Heaven describes how conditional and unconditional cash transfers are being used: there is no magic bullet.
 
As you know, advisors play an exceptionally important role in philanthropy and in a wake up call for advisers Jim Coutre offers a summary of the latest American research and Emma Turner, from the UK, muses on why philanthropy advisory services have not grown as fast as was expected. Steve Martin, our empiricist for this issue, looks at what number of messages produces the most persuasive appeal: works for any industry.
 
Kurt Hoffman’s final article in our Hoffman’s Challenge series, does not disappoint, as he proposes that doing better through innovation is the best route for civil society to do the most good.
 
On behalf of Philanthropy Impact, it has been a pleasure creating Philanthropy Impact Magazine and we hope you find this issue interesting and thoughtprovoking because we have enjoyed compiling it.
 
Why not tell us what do you think? Or, propose an idea for an article? We would love to hear from you, email editor@philanthropy-impact.org
 
Wishing you all the very best for this festive holiday season. 
 
Sue and Michael 

Magazine contents

Magazine article
So you’ve decided that you really can’t spend it all, so why not get into this philanthropy game; it sounds fun and you can join a new club. Well, you...
Magazine article
1. According to the John Hopkins Center for Civil Society Studies, the Netherlands is considered to have the world’s largest non-profit sector in terms of percentage of the economically active...
Magazine article
Should donors front load their giving to meet the challenges of today or create a legacy for future generations? When Henry Smith, a London salt merchant, died in 1628 he...
Magazine article
A little over a year ago, the OECD launched a Global Network of Foundations Working for Development (netFWD). We had spent the previous 12 months consulting with over 80 foundations...
Magazine article
One can only be deeply moved by the devastation in the Philippines caused by Typhoon Haiyan at the end of November – the lives shattered and up to 10,000 dead...
Magazine article
On Monday 9 December 2013 LGT Venture Philanthropy and Berenberg announced a first close of their social impact fund, Impact Ventures UK (IVUK), raising just over £20 million. What marks...
Magazine article
New research shows that adviser-client discussions of philanthropy in the USA are falling short of their potential impact on the adviser’s business, their clients’ lives and society. With philanthropy as...
Magazine article
Which cause or charity should I support? And how much? How can I make a difference? Such questions and subsequent counsel are part of our everyday life. Emma Turner, Head...
Magazine article
When it comes to influencing others delivering the right number of messages to support your proposal or proposition is going to be crucial. Too few and your attempt might come...
Magazine article
The October shutdown of the U.S. government was yet another proxy war over the legitimacy of the social safety net. With the Affordable Care Act, which mandates eligibility for private...
Magazine article
1. Imagine total charitable giving in the USA as a stack of dollar bills, 125 feet wide by 200 feet deep and as tall as the London Eye. That $316...
Magazine article
For the past thirty years, I have spent much of my working life raising money for causes and organizations I believe in, and during that time I have met a...
Magazine article
Few of the world’s regions are as intimately connected to the wider world as the Middle East. Since the Ottomans ruled over much of Eurasia there has been an increasing...
Magazine article
Muslim Giving and Philanthropy remains one of the largest and most generous economies in the world. While recognizing that ad hoc giving within the Muslim community is a part of...
Magazine article
Philanthropy has an important role to play in international development. Philanthropists are interested not only in giving money for development causes but in making targeted investments and forming effective partnerships...
Magazine article
The Maldives as it is known worldwide is glaringly different to the Maldives (Dhivehi Raaje) experienced by its islanders. To outsiders it is known for its islands with untouched white...
Magazine article
Meet Agha. He told his story, as a street child who collects garbage and works hard to survive in Lahore, in one of the films featured in the RSA Pakistan...
Magazine article
Since the global fight against poverty began gathering steam in the years following the Second World War, the rich nations of the world have invested two-and-a-half trillion dollars in “development”...
Magazine article
Giving money directly to poor people works surprisingly well. But it cannot deal with the deeper causes of poverty. SOME unlikely things combined to change Gabriel Otieno Anoche’s life. A...
Magazine article
The Environmental Funders Network’s new report Passionate Collaboration? (available at www.greenfunders.org ) represents a first attempt to ‘map’ the demand side of the grants market for environmental philanthropy. As such...
Magazine article
In this essay series three themes have been explored. The first was that the doers and funders of social good (charities, individual and institutional philanthropists, and their expert advisors) have,...

  • Promoting philanthropy