Category Archives: Effective giving

Why I’m delighted to join a Board of the US Center* for Effective Philanthropy

The primary constraint on the effectiveness of philanthropy is that, “The problems of philanthropy are not experienced as problems by the philanthropists”, as Katherine Fulton of the Monitor Institute rather brilliantly pointed out. Those ‘problems of philanthropy’ include what donors support … Continue reading

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How philanthropic money makes major change: Moving the tanker

This article was written with Jeff Mosenkis and first published by Alliance Magazine. ‘We are a tiny, tiny little organization,’ says Bill Gates about the largest foundation that the world has ever seen. He’s right: the Gates Foundation’s annual grantmaking is only a tiny … Continue reading

Posted in Effective giving, Impact & evaluation, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Faster, higher, stronger: Olympic lessons for philanthropy

This article first appeared in Alliance Magazine. Coming from ancient Greece, even the word ‘philanthropy’ hints at similarities with the Olympic Games. And there is much which philanthropists, donors, charities and those of us who support and guide them can … Continue reading

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MoneyBox Live: good questions to ask

I’m on BBC Radio 4’s MoneyBox Live today, answering questions from the public about charitable giving. Do call! (Here’s how.) I’ve suggested some questions you might like to ask – about which charities to back and how – and some … Continue reading

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A grand unified theory of effective giving starts with beneficiaries

This article first appeared in Alliance Magazine. ‘What do you think of our team?’ asked the chairman of a new foundation. I hesitated, fearing he would dislike my answer. The trustees were experts in only two of their three focus … Continue reading

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Three golden rules of effective charitable giving

This article first appeared in The Ecologist. Many of us support charities which work on some of the biggest environmental issues of our time. But which are the good ones, and how can we really help? Caroline Fiennes, author of … Continue reading

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No money? Here’s how you can still make a difference to charity in a recession

This article first appeared in the Daily Mail Online. In a recession, more people turn to charities for support, precisely when donations are harder for charities to find. But there are tricks we can all use to make our donations … Continue reading

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Giving Evidence: advice on giving, based on evidence

Charities are not equally good. Neither are techniques for finding and supporting them. Giving Evidence advises donors – individuals, families, foundations, companies, governments – on the ways of giving which will achieve the best ‘returns’, by a fanatical devotion to … Continue reading

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Application and reporting processes keep 3m children out of school

Avoidable waste from foundations’ reporting processes is ~£100m every year, enough to fund the whole of Barnardo’s or the British Red Cross. Another ~£150-250m is wasted in reporting to public sector funders, plus there’s plenty of avoidable waste in application … Continue reading

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Who’s not applying themselves? Donors need to know

Writing and publishing a book which should improve charitable giving I figured made me a social entrepreneur. I needed money – all that editing and design doesn’t come cheap – so I approached UnLtd, the fund for social entrepreneurs set … Continue reading

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