Opinions

In his Gospel of Wealth, published in 1901, Andrew Carnegie declares, ‘The amassing of wealth is one of the worst species of idolatry.’ He states his position on the ‘duty of the man of Wealth’ …

Foundations face crucial spending challenges over the next few years. Weak economic growth and austerity regimes will increasingly take their toll on social wellbeing, and needs will rise. Foundations, however, are unlikely to have increased …

‘How much is your financial return discounted by your mission investment strategy?’ We cannot tell you how many times we have heard that question. You might say we ask for it. The F B Heron …

A year after the ‘shareholder spring’, when shareholders of some big companies succeeded in restricting executive bonuses, it will be interesting to see if shareholders are even more assertive this year or return to more …

In 2007 the Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship published a working paper by Jed Emerson and Joshua Spitzer entitled From Fragmentation to Function. As I cleared my office cupboards to make way for my successor …

In the 13 years since Strategic Philanthropy, Ltd was established, philanthropic advisory services have become a more familiar professional resource for donors and an increasingly respected professional ‘partner’ for their legal and financial advisers. The …

Foundations have a long and distinguished history of influencing social change. From the Rockefeller Foundation’s work on the Green Revolution through the initiatives that helped to establish the civil society sector in Eastern Europe in …

Last month’s issue of Alliance included thoughtful pieces that discussed both the promise and the limitations of data for philanthropy. We read the contributions with great interest at the Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN), a …

As the ‘next gen’ successor to capital markets focused on a single bottom line, impact investing is at a fascinating juncture. The loss of confidence in banks and mainstream investments appears to be with us …

This year marks the tenth anniversary of the launch of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors as an independent non-profit. Before 2002, we were a service within the Rockefeller family office, working with members of the Rockefeller family …