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Swimming against the tide
Thinking about where to start, I am struck by one sentence in the opening piece by Allan Kaplan and Jenny Hyatt: ‘For some donors, learning appears to be outweighed by self belief.’ Here lies one …
Inventing the wheel
Created in 1994, the Carpathian Foundation’s primary mission is to promote good-neighbourliness through cross-border and inter-ethnic cooperation in the Carpathian region of Eastern Europe, covering the border areas of Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Ukraine. …
Listening to local communities
The Social Change Assistance Trust (Scat) provides support to Local Development Agencies (LDAs) in rural communities in South Africa. This article reflects on various aspects of Scat that shape its identity as a learning organization, …
Being the change we want to see?
Oxfam’s mission, to work with others to overcome poverty and suffering, is a huge and ambitious one, and any organization that sets its purpose out so clearly must start from a strong value base and …
IBM’s model for corporate philanthropy
As an innovation company, IBM’s success over its 100-year history has been dependent on constant change. Development of the IT industry may appear evolutionary, as a series of developments based on new scientific discoveries were …
Not learning from beneficiaries
At the risk of being contradicted by other articles on this issue’s theme, I want to highlight one critically important way that donors are not learning – from the intended beneficiaries of the work that …
Beyond learning for learning’s sake
Foundation staff and board members should embrace learning not for its own sake but as a means towards improved performance and greater positive impact. It is easy to endorse the rhetoric of the learning organization, …
Continuing the conversation
Rather than responding to particular points or differences in view from the contributors, we decided to continue the conversation… Understanding and purpose JH The pieces show some important differences in emphasis about the purpose of …
Community foundations in Russia – Adapting for sustainability
Community foundations are established for the purpose of raising local funds and working with local donors; if they do this successfully, they will become sustainable. Sustainability is thus the key measure of success. To become …
Fundacion del Empresariado Chihuahuense – From welfare to well-being
Flooding in the province of Chihuahua in 1991 and the subsequent need for funds for reconstruction led to an arrangement between local employers and the state government whereby employers paid an extra 10 per cent …