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Letters
Further thoughts on the dangers of transparency
The debate in Alliance about transparency has been helpful in clarifying my views on this, and, judging from the comments Ariadne has had from other social change and human rights funders, they too have found …
When is transparency a really good idea?
When it comes to philanthropy, the answer to this question is a simple one: almost always. This may seem to put me at odds with Jo Andrews’ well-reasoned argument against transparency in all circumstances, but …
Transparency and accountability: two sides of the same coin
Transparency is often in the eye of the beholder. Grantees and applicants want to know the criteria for funding; NGOs want to understand the sources of funding; interested members of the public want to know …
A pragmatic approach to transparency
‘Transparency for funders is a helpful idea, but it’s not a panacea. If private foundations and grantmakers think it is, then their attempts to bring a measure of sunlight to a sector shrouded in mist …
Transparency, yes, with governance and excellence
Jo Andrews argues that increased transparency may not always be a good thing, and gives two examples where she sees dangers. With her examples she inadvertently highlights the importance of continued attention towards increasing transparency. …
Cooperation not competition
The analysis of Monitor Deloitte’s Beyond the Pioneer report in the June issue of Alliance highlights an interesting debate. The report suggests that real scale for innovations for low-income markets cannot be addressed effectively by …
Charities’ experience of social investment positive so far
The ethical questions around charities’ use of social investment posed by Martin Brookes (‘Should there be limits to the realm of markets?’) are no doubt questions that many in the sector share. Certainly, in my …
What about non-profits’ behaviour?
There are indeed many questions about how the mingling of investment and charity will affect the behaviour of donors, as Martin Brookes writes in the June issue of Alliance. I was pleased to see these …
Responses to Mari Kuraishi’s ‘From crowdfunding to crowdsourcing’
‘Crowdfunding favours urgent and tangible needs such as disaster relief, or heart surgery for a specific individual. It is not necessarily effective in mobilizing deep, sustained support, and may even “crowd out” public policy challenges …
Donors shooting for the seemingly impossible
I was reminded of this article as I watched the remarkable fundraising drive for MAYDAY surge past US$5 million on the 4th of July. Billed as the super-PAC to end super-PACs, MAYDAY’s aims could not …
