Development

Hudson Institute released the Index of Global Philanthropy and Remittances for 2009.   The full report and executive summary are available.  Once again, the Index shows that Remittances are a larger percentage of U.S. Economic Engagement in Developing Countries than Official Development Assistance and Private Philanthropy.  Private capital flows are slightly higher.  The Index confirms that […]

For as much as I want help philanthropy become an accessible, mainstream norm and value  – I’m still wrestling with the idea of a billionaire playboy turned vigilante philanthropist as our superhero for doing so.  NBC’s June premiere of The Philanthropist is making my head spin. From a foreign policy point of view, do we […]

Social Return on Investment (SROI) is a big deal for non-profit funders and organizations.  How do you determine the most effective approach to solving homelessness, bettering education, or curbing poverty?  Is it possible to weave a standard method of evaluation through a variety of themes, lens, and perspectives?  Should we even try for one approach, […]

If you missed Obama’s comments last night regarding charitable deductions, I’ve included them here.  For the past few weeks, the non-profit sector has been a flutter with commentary on the lowering of charitable deductions for wealthy donors.  In summary, instead of deducting 39%, wealthy American will be able to deduct 28% of their charitable giving.  […]

Whether you eat, sleep, and breathe philanthropy or whether you can barely pronounce the word, the entire sector revolves around personal choice.  No matter how fancy or interactive our industry is able to make the word, the feeling, the community – the decision on when, where, or whether to participate will always be based on […]

Between the blogs I follow and my twitter-feed, I’m feeling issue-fatigue on the financial crisis and how the sector is coping.  My weekly Economist continues to report the most pressing financial difficulties from manufacturing to mortgages –  in every corner of the globe.  Even for a sector-junkie, its challenging to keep up on the most current thoughts regarding Obama’s stimulus package […]

All for multi-tasking and passing the boredom of standing in the grocery line, this new application from The Extraordinaries has gotten me excited about the new possibilities of volunteering. Smartphone software that allows someone to use micro amounts of spare time for social good. We deliver volunteer tasks on-demand directly to the phone like a […]

Kudos to the Administration for passing a Stimulus bill that, both in voice and in funds, supports volunteerism and community activism.  While I’m still not sold or sure of the government’s increasing presence in the sector (i.e. Office of Social Innovation), its not being overdone…yet.  The combination between improvements in public diplomacy and philanthropy by the government […]

With both Canada and the U.S. passing new federal stimulus packages, it has been interesting to hear from the respective non-profit sectors on how pleased they are with the outcomes.  The Chronicle of Philanthropy reports that a congressional compromise will include funding for arts, social service, and volunteerism – including $50 million for capacity building […]

It was only a matter of time before the next Philanthro-jargon was born.  Thank you Davos.  Ian Wilhelm raises some interesting questions on how significantly Davos influences philanthropic discussions.  After all, some of the greatest minds and largest donors are there to convene on the pressing issues of the day.  There are some contrasting opinions […]

Following my previous and optimistic post of a new era for community service, I’m now going to flip the argument.  While I straddle both U.S. and Canadian philanthropy in this financial downturn and watch as both governments “turn on the taps” and run deficit budgets for this year – I’ve become curious at how long the […]

Move aside depressing economic outlook articles, this is going to be an exciting week.  If only I could be in D.C. for a front row view! If you aren't lucky enough to have MLK Jr. Day as a national holiday and a day to volunteer your time, there is room for participation from all corners of […]