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Opinions
Strangers in the night
For the past two years I have been assisting the Global Fund for Community Foundations to consider whether it should establish itself as a free-standing entity. One of the more interesting aspects of this involvement …
A step in the right direction
From 4 to 7 May, over 3,000 people gathered in the greater Washington DC area in what I am told was the largest assembly on philanthropy in history. Some 80 plus concurrent sessions, 11 site …
Trustees’ column: Where does responsibility lie?
In his column in the April issue of Alliance, Rien van Gendt writes: ‘The main point I want to make is that Boards should realize that governance is not restricted to a foundation’s spending but …
The inordinate power of programme officers
To achieve impact and effect social or policy change, foundations must reach beyond grantmaking to a variety of other means. The philanthropic toolbox includes advocacy, convening diverse stakeholders, publications, seminars, supporting think-tanks, and communication campaigns …
Governance applies to investment too
Over the years it has surprised me how limited the opportunities are for information exchange between foundation Board members, for peer learning, and, even more important, for the professional development of Board members. In my …
Is there still room for charity in philanthropy?
I am sad to announce that the death knoll for charity having any place in philanthropy has been sounded. There are now an increasing number of books and articles that herald and champion the move …
Climate change – the missing piece
Congratulations are in order for highlighting the timely topic of climate change in the September 2007 issue of Alliance. However, when climate change and the actions needed to address it are discussed, we sometimes fail …
Can foundations practise corporate acupuncture?
The question whether foundations can – and should – use their stock market investments to influence corporate behaviour is often asked, not least in these pages. In March’s Alliance, Stephen Pittam of the Joseph Rowntree …
From accountability to impact
This August, the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University devoted its Fourth Annual National Philanthropy Summit to assessment. The sixth EFC Summer Academy in September will be on ‘Impact-driven Philanthropy’. The December issue of Alliance …
The ethics of receiving
Among the many difficult ethical questions that arise in modern philanthropy, one seems to appear with increasing frequency, the issue of ‘tainted money’. This actually has to do with a very old quandary in the …