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Analysis
The associational counter-revolution
In the early 1990s, an ‘associational revolution’ (to quote Lester Salamon’s phrase) swept through Central Europe and the former Soviet Union. Recently, however, there are signs that a counter-revolution is under way and spreading globally. …
Where are the limits of donor accountability?
Should Western donors who supported the Orange Revolution in Ukraine be accountable for the new NGO Law in Russia? Maria (Masha) Chertok of CAF Russia believes that they should. She debates the question with Pavol …
Lessons from the online giving industry – Profit taboo in social enterprise country?
‘Absolutely not!’ ‘No, I certainly would not include them.’ These are typical of the surprisingly forceful and unambiguous replies to the question, ‘is Justgiving a social enterprise?’ For those of you who have not heard …
Warren Buffett still has a chance to do it right
News of Warren Buffett’s $30.7 billion gift to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation reached me in Europe while I was attending a conference on non-profit accountability. The Gates Foundation would now comprise over 10 …
SAGA – the end of a roller-coaster ride
“SAGA was a brave effort at a fascinating time. I was grateful to be part of the lessons and sad to see the end in the current form, but its work will benefit ventures to …
Flying the philanthropy flag against all the odds? The role of grantmaker associations
Trade associations are generally considered to be good and useful things – they can represent the interests of their members to the external world, they offer a means of sharing information among people practising the …
The role of foundations in society
When speaking at the launch of Trust Africa in Dakar, Senegal on 6 June 2006, Barry Gaberman listed ten attributes of foundations that make them important in getting what he called the ‘business of society’ …
Effective giving for all?
For those of us who seek to take grantmaking from charity to social investment, there has been some good news recently. Particularly heartening was the splendid and comprehensive supplement to the recent edition of The …
NGO accountability: control your fate by taking charge of the debate
Civil society organizations have never had a more meaningful role in global governance. They play an important part in a wide range of transnational issues from human rights and climate change to the application of …
Making poverty obsolete in order to build a moral modern economy
Five years after the Millennium Declaration and subsequent adoption of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), it is clear that this global commitment to cutting extreme poverty by half by 2015 is not succeeding in the …