Kevin Starr
Kevin Starr directs the Mulago Foundation and the Rainer Arnhold Fellows Program.
There Is No Such Thing as Impact Investing
There is philanthropic investing, and there is commercial investing, and there is nothing in between.
Funders, Do Your !!@%@#! Job.
Be a real advocate for those we’re trying to serve. Be accountable for impact.
Do They Still Need Our Money?
A wave of big-bet grants has left some funders asking whether recipient organizations still “need” their money. That’s always the wrong question.
Getting to Scale: Size Matters. Shape Matters More.
Scale is a verb, not a noun: The trajectory and curve of impact are more important than the numbers.
We’re Beating Systems Change to Death
Systems change is more a destination than a journey. "Scalable solutions" might be a better way to make the trip.
Give a Man a Fish, and You Feed Him for a Day. Give a Family Cash, and You Feed Them for…a While
For all the glowing press that unconditional cash transfers (UCT) have gotten, cash is still a long way from living up to the hype and transforming the development sector.
Nowhere to Grow
The systematic scale-up of social entrepreneurs’ solutions by Big International NGOs (BINGOs) is simply not a thing. Why not?
Your Software, Their Hardware: Stacking the Deck for High-Quality Replication
Your awesome model doesn’t get to serious scale unless others replicate it, too. Here’s how to make it happen.
Big Enough. Simple Enough. Cheap Enough.
Daunting social problems need scalable solutions. Here’s how to know if you’ve got one.
Development Impact Bonds: There’s Still No Free Lunch
We’re in big trouble if complicated, expensive schemes like these are what it takes to get big funders to fund for impact.
Health Care: The Cool Stuff Doesn’t Matter If the Basics Aren’t There
Fund primary health care. Everywhere. Now.
Let the Man Do His Job!
It’s hard to be a government minister in a country where resources are scarce. Don’t make it worse.
The Pink Hats Were Awesome. Now Let’s Deliver.
We need to double down on the gritty business of impact. Here’s how.
Philanthropy & Funding
The Pitch Is Dead. Long Live the Conversation.
If you treat funders like prey, they'll probably run.
A Big Problem, a Small Experiment, and a Lot of Noise
Liberia’s leaders are trying to jump-start their schools. Give them a break.
Seduced by “The Reductive Seduction of Other People’s Problems”
Even in the world of poverty and development, seduction sometimes works out OK.
The Doer and the Payer: A Simple Approach to Scale
Growth and scale aren't the same thing. Here's what you need to know if you're serious about getting to scale.
Getting Beyond Hype: Four Questions to Predict Real Impact
A simple way to think about investment and design.
Review
The Trouble With Top-Down
The limits of technocratic, one-size-fits-all approaches to economic development have become all too evident.
GiveThoughtfully: It Depends on Your Point of View
Bringing a discussion of cash transfers in for a landing.
Be Nice. Fund Results. Minimize Hassle. Help Out.
The word from the trenches on how funders can make life easier for everyone.
Real World Impact Measurement
“Good enough” = simple enough to do, but rigorous enough to mean something.
Another Look at “Carbon for Water” in Western Kenya
There needs to be more scrutiny around the use of the LifeStraw water filter and more debate about the validity of its carbon for water deal.
Just Give ’Em the Money: The Power and Pleasure of Unrestricted Funding
Unrestricted money makes an organization work smoothly, enables innovation, and provides fuel for growth.
Thirty Million Dollars, a Little Bit of Carbon, and a Lot of Hot Air
Carbon for Water is engaged in a loopy funding scheme and offers a lousy public health solution.
Review
New School Economics
More Than Good Intentions: How a New Economics Is Helping to Solve Global Poverty by Dean Karlan & Jacob Appel
It’s Not About the Tea
By and large, the Central Asia Institute's supporters went for a feel-good story, didn’t do their homework, and didn’t ask the right questions with the Three Cups of Tea dust up.
Impact Market Failure
It comes down to this: We’re all operating in a dysfunctional market for impact.