You're currently viewing:
Special features
Stop managing grants. Start managing your network
Scaling solutions, building resilience, catalysing innovation: these are the philanthropy sector’s buzzwords du jour. There’s nothing inherently wrong with these goals – except that the current programme officer position isn’t set up to deliver them. …
Finding a consultant: blended skills for blended value?
When my business partner and I asked her what she expected to earn as a consultant at our advisory firm Beyond Philanthropy, the young woman cheerfully named a figure that was double the amount we …
Poaching talent from NGOs: does it matter?
NGOs are an essential part of the talent ecosystem for philanthropy. But this presents a contradiction. On the one hand, it brings valuable new skills and voices into philanthropy. On the other, it pulls talent …
Leadership and mentorship
‘As an outsider, you are more able to question the received wisdom, to challenge people’s basic assumptions.’ Just under ten years ago, Judith Rodin moved from being president of the University of Pennsylvania to become …
Learning from the for-profit sector
Can the philanthropic sector learn from other areas, in particular the for-profit sector? Should talent management practice within philanthropy be exactly like it is in the business sector, or are we different enough to warrant …
Five lessons about human capital
The idea of a social enterprise investing heavily in human capital as a prerequisite for growth is not controversial or even new. In fact, it seems so obvious that few would question it. It is …
Financial and non-financial: striking a balance
How do we find and keep the right people? How do we meet their expectations and provide opportunities for further development? What is the right balance between financial incentives and inspiration for work aiming at …
A degree in grantmaking? It’s a no-brainer
Some time ago I did the maths and figured out how many tens of millions of dollars I had given away to good causes over the preceding years. Of course, it was not my money, …
What can associations do?
Foundations are all about resources – and while the equation ‘resources = money’ is heard far too often, there is another variable that is frequently overlooked: people. It is the passion, time, engagement, belief and …
Why do diversity and inclusion matter?
How to prove the value and business case for diversity? How to ensure the workplace is inclusive? How does it assist philanthropy in serving the greater good? How can we make diversity and inclusion a …