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My Generosity Experiment
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Category Archives: philanthropy
Too big
Of all the reasons cited to give or not to give a philanthropic donation, “you’re too big” is the one that I have the hardest time digesting. First, a clarification. In my experience, most people who say that they want … Continue reading
Posted in philanthropy
Tagged accountability, fundraising, metrics, nonprofits, philanthropy
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Gifto reducto ad infinitum
A donor with $50,000 to give faces a surprising conundrum: she knows, intellectually (and perhaps in her gut) that $50,000 is itself not enough to make lasting, large-scale change. However, we can all agree that $50,000 is an awful lot … Continue reading
If investing = sexy…
If investing = sexy, and if sexy = better = innovative = how we’re going to solve all the world’s problems…well then, Houston, we have a problem. There’s huge momentum around using investing capital to solve social problems. The question … Continue reading
Posted in philanthropy
Tagged Acumen Fund, impact investing, patient capital, philanthropy
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Dear nonprofit
[Here's the link to yesterday's letter: Dear (potential) donor] Dear nonprofit, Speak up for yourself! Don’t play the supplicant, tin cup in hand, hoping that some change will fall from that purse (or that pocket). Your time is precious and … Continue reading
Dear (potential) donor
Dear (potential) donor, Please, please, be careful and clear with your intentions, with your time, and with our time. I know you don’t want any special treatment, and I know you don’t want different rules to apply to you…but they … Continue reading
Will innovative philanthropy always be a niche?
In preparation for the Feast Debate that I’m moderating next week, I was having a conversation today about trends in the philanthropic space. Someone made the offhanded remark, “Well, there’s clearly a trend of philanthropic dollars being harder to come … Continue reading
The inefficient nonprofit marketplace
A friend who’s doing a lot of work to improve giving practices and flows of capital in the nonprofit marketplace asked me the other day: “do you think capital is allocated efficiently in the nonprofit sector?” “Of course,” is what … Continue reading
A leading voice takes the next step
Congratulations to Sean Stannard-Stockton on the launch of Tactical Philanthropy Advisors. Sean has been writing on the Tactical Philanthropy blog since 2006, and has become one of the leading voices “Chronicling the Second Great Wave of Philanthropy.” If you want … Continue reading
Real giving conversations
I had a fascinating, far-ranging conversation today with a friend about philanthropy, touching on giving, donor accountability, what an individual gift means in the context of larger pools of money, how people really make philanthropic decisions…the works. Out of the … Continue reading
Let’s trade in these old stories
Roll the tape from my childhood TV screen: image of a 4 year old Ethiopian girl, ribs visible, distended belly, flies on her face, and a voice over, “For just 50 cents a day, you can feed this child.” This … Continue reading
