Tag Archives: philanthropy

The popular fetish of the small

The Economist this week has an article and data showing the folly of the popular affection for small companies. It shows that productivity* per employee is markedly higher in large companies than small ones for two reasons: employees in large … Continue reading

Posted in Effective giving, Impact & evaluation, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Government fund scores new low for charitable funding

Forty three failures for every success. Is the government’s Social Action Fund – which ostensibly helps charities – trying to challenge the National Lottery for startling low probabilities? It would be funny if only it weren’t tragic and irresponsible. And … Continue reading

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Forget business: philanthropy needs to learn from tons of other disciplines

Philanthrocapitalism, social return, social investment, Absolute Return for Kids… Business is the analogy most commonly used for philanthropic activity. Though that’s not wrong, it’s dangerously narrow for solving what Warren Buffett calls ‘problems which have already resisted great intellects and great … Continue reading

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Giving a goat (or similar) this Christmas? Get an extra half a goat for free

Oxfam Unwrapped is a kind of gift catalogue from which you can ‘buy a goat’ or various other items as a gift. A goat costs £25: you give Oxfam £25, which it uses to provide a goat to somebody in a … Continue reading

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The good, and the weird, features of Peter Singer’s The Life You Can Save

‘How much should each of us give to help the world’s poor?’, asks the moral philosopher Peter Singer in his book The Life You Can Save. It’s a cracking book, with some great insights about poverty, effective solutions and the weirdness inside … Continue reading

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Comparing giving in the US and in the UK is a total red herring

If I had a pound for every time I’d heard people try to compare giving in the US and in the UK, I’d have more pounds than is given in both together. It’s a rubbish comparison. Here’s why. First, they normally … Continue reading

Posted in Donor behaviour & giving stats | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Why Eurostar’s charity partnership with the Ashden Awards is a very good idea*

Partnering to create value  Interested in fostering innovation, Eurostar has teamed up with the Ashden Awards for Sustainable Energy to create a new prize for local sustainable transport initiatives. In principle, Eurostar could have created an infrastructure of its own – … Continue reading

Posted in Corporate philanthropy, Effective giving, Mergers | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Who gives to charity, why, who doesn’t, why not & what to do about it

A segmentation based on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is helpful in showing who gives, who doesn’t, and how to get more people giving more substantially and more often. This paper describes the segmentation, gives the data about giving behaviour and recommendations of … Continue reading

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Nine reasons why Red Nose Day is brilliant and deserves your money(!)

An independent view of Comic Relief & Red Nose Day In short, because they’re very impressive and focused, and do a lot more with your money than you could. What are their goals?   Well, notice first that they have goals. They’re not … Continue reading

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Charitable gifts for the Royal Wedding: analysis of the plan

Prince William &Kate Middleton are asking for donations to a set of charities, rather than wedding gifts. Here’s my analysis of their plan. Good idea For sure the couple don’t need any towels from John Lewis. And since charities’ income falls … Continue reading

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