Author Archive:
Filiz Bikmen
Hope and philanthropy
This is one of the most personal posts I’ve ever written. Based on one of the most personal stories I’ve ever shared – and I have PEXforum Istanbul to thank for both opportunities. With 20-plus …
Family Philanthropy Navigator: The inspirational guide for philanthropic families on their giving journey
Reviewed by Filiz Bikmen, Founding director, Esas Sosyal. Remember how it feels to be in a room with a number of small tables, flipcharts, colourful post-its and lively drawings of the participants’ discussions captured on …
What’s next for PEX?
I like the ring of that, and for me, as a closer and one who appreciates discussions reach a conclusion, it summarises my sentiments perfectly. In meetings, there are openers and closers. Openers like to …
Philanthropy in transition: Sharing our ‘Pathways to Change’
The Interaction Institute for Social Change (IISC) of which I am an avid enthusiast (and proud Board Member), has a methodology called ‘Facilitating Leadership for Social Change’. It starts with a simple set of questions …
Making infrastructure future-ready
In order to meet the challenges philanthropy and social investment is contending against, its infrastructure needs to be rethought and retooled. Those of us who live in the developed world take many things for granted: …
Philanthropy in Egypt and Turkey
The practice of community giving has experienced mixed fortunes amid profound national developments In 2004, the Ford Foundation funded a study to understand the relationship between philanthropy and social justice in predominantly Muslim societies, including …
An aura of hope
As the saying goes, April showers bring May flowers. With two major events in the social investment and philanthropy sector, May was abloom with new ideas and energy, much needed in a world full of …
Keep on, keeping on: resilient philanthropy in Turkey
Istanbul, Turkey, 15 August 2017 Resilience is a popular term these days; explored in classrooms with children, in camps with refugees, and with executives in corporations. The search for the perfect recipe continues. Dr Lester Salamon, …
Olga Prize finalists Adım Adım take it one ‘step’ further
In 2014, founders of Adım Adım (Step by Step) Itir Erhart and Renay Onur were selected as finalists for the Olga Alexeeva Memorial Prize. As per the criteria for the award, they had demonstrated remarkable …
EFC Conference 2014- recipes for building successful networks: search for the masterchef
I love cooking, though I admit to rarely consulting recipes and opting to improvise. But when it comes to cooking up strategies for effective philanthropy I am consistently searching for (and applying) tried and true …
