Rigor & Moral Clarity in Philanthropy

By Sean Stannard-Stockton

The effective philanthropy movement operates on an evidence-based understanding of how the world works.

Funders Aren’t Investors, They’re Purchasers

By Paul Park 12

Is it accurate or even appropriate for funders to think of themselves as—and act like—investors?

Becoming the Sustainability We Seek

By Rich Tafel 4

So focused on short-term funding for survival, the nonprofit sector is losing its ability to implement innovative solutions to the world’s problems.

Banking Beyond Branches: An Interim Report Card

By Ignacio Mas 1

There is a need to develop simplified paths for mobile operators and banks alike to get on the inexorable road to banking beyond branches.

Less Epistemology, More Evolution

By Timothy Ogden 3

An analysis of Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo’s book Poor Economics.

Large Foundations Dropping the Ball on Government Programs

By Sean Stannard-Stockton

The Pay For Success program and Social Innovation Fund are examples of the government turning to philanthropy for help selecting the effective programs.

Personal Democracy Forum Gets Religious

By Tamara Straus 3

The Personal Democracy Forum revealed that 2011 is a watershed moment for work at the intersection of politics, government, and technology.

Open Philanthropy

By Lucy Bernholz 2

We need to bring foundations—and their vast repositories of information on who is doing what in the social economy—out into the open.

Talking to Elephants

By Peter Manzo 2

Appeals to caring for the needy are likely to backfire unless advocates acknowledge and avoid inflaming passions that stem from other powerful moral values.

Are You Ready for the Big Shift?

By Marc Freedman

So many people in the stage of life after midlife and before true old age have so much experience, time, and capacity to do something significant.