Tim Ogden (@philaction or @timothyogden) is managing director of the Financial Access Initiative at NYU and executive partner at Sona Partners, a thought leadership communications firm. He is co-author of Toyota Under Fire, and author of the forthcoming Experimental Conversations, a collection of interviews with economists conducting field experiments on poverty alleviation. He has developed and edited more than 20 books, including award-winning business books on innovation and marketing. In addition to writing regularly for SSIR, he serves as editor-in-chief of Philanthropy Action and as a contributing editor for Alliance magazine.
A dialogue with University of Michigan professor Dean Yang on what we can—and can't—learn from randomized controlled trials.
Recent leaps in giving to specific causes in the United States probably don’t represent a net addition to the annual total—which means a lean season for many nonprofits unless foundations step up their game.
Let’s build on—not try to fix—overwithholding.
The new book Scarcity provides critical insights for designing better anti-poverty programs, but not for allocating scarce philanthropic resources.
Giving Tuesday seems poised to be a permanent fixture in the philanthropic landscape. So what’s the theory of change behind it?
Despite years of claiming the contrary, donors still don’t really care about nonprofit performance or impact.
Pushing back against efforts that are likely to lead to disappointment, and three ways we might reframe the initiative.
The effort to make giving public and start a “giving season” won’t materially affect giving in any positive way.
Why do some people, systems, and societies bounce back from adversity and other don't?
We must be willing to continually examine and test our core convictions and assumptions, and confirm that they are worth holding.
Two books argue that entrepreneurs and technology are transforming the global economy.
Two books argue that entrepreneurs and technology are transforming the global economy.
We’re a long way from bringing the real cost of social capital in line with commercial capital.
An essential skill for innovators and entrepreneurs is the ability to turn success into failure.
Two economists offer opposite explanations about why job growth in the United States and other developed economies remains extremely weak.
Two economists offer opposite explanations about why job growth in the United States and other developed economies remains extremely weak.
Useful knowledge for the social sector coming from academic researchers is severely limited.
A summary of articles and discussions about the Gates Foundation’s impact on global social change.
In the wake of the announcement of the intent to GOOD to absorb Jumo, questions arise about form, functions, policy, and societal value.
Poor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty by Abhijit Banerjee & Esther Duflo
An analysis of Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo’s book Poor Economics.
Not every organization should become an institution. But long-term change really is dependent on institutions.
The problem with “changing the world” is that it probably involves invoking impossibly superficial means to address oversimplified problems.
I think the current moment is the beginning of the golden years for microfinance.
I believe that cause marketing programs erode the joy of giving, turn consumers into cynics, and contribute to the overall loss of faith and trust in the nonprofit sector.
What are the most important signs of progress in social capital markets in the last 10 years?
For nonprofits working on social change, data and data visualization are extremely valuable.
Donors are getting exactly what they want from their charitable giving—the market is efficient, even highly so.
We need more good examples and fewer good intentions in social entrepreneurship and humanitarian design.
Obama could have radically changed the debate on how to allocate charitable funds if he had detailed the set of criteria used to donate his Nobel Peace Prize award money.
Patient optimists have lowered their expectations of any particular program or intervention, but not their belief in a better world over the long term.
