As the recession begins to bite deeper into the public consciousness, and government, economists and business debate ways to tackle the economic crisis, Philanthropy UK highlights an emerging, promising financial model in its March Newsletter.

Social finance, or more broadly, social investment, is becoming increasingly attractive to funders who want to have even more impact with their giving, and Philanthropy UK explores the range of approaches at varying stages of development in social investment.

Also in the feature, Venturesome’s Emilie Goodall explains why charities need non-grant finance, and in her Letter from America, Melissa Berman examines the grave impact of the loss of trust caused by the economic crisis.

Meanwhile, in the ‘My philanthropic journey’ column, social investor Rodney Schwartz talks about how through social investment he has aligned his professional life with his personal values. Rodney observes, “Increasingly investors are taking ‘extra-financial’ returns into account, which social enterprises offer in abundance”.

And, in an exclusive interview, Ted Turner talks to Philanthropy UK Director Susan Mackenzie about the work of the United Nations Foundation which he founded with a $1 bn gift 10 years ago.
 
Philanthropy UK’s March 2009 Newsletter will be published next week.  Click here to subscribe.