Posted on Thursday, 15th January 2009 by chris wignall

One constant topic of discussion with both funders and charities is the fundamental power imbalance between the two sides. However we try to minimize it, there is a basic reality that charities need resources that funders can provide. While I appreciate the outstanding efforts of many charities to develop mutual value in the interaction the [...]

Tags: Partners, Philanthropy
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Posted on Tuesday, 6th January 2009 by chris wignall

Making charitable giving more accessible and intimate is a great thing. Kiva has been standard bearer for changing the way we give. In recent months I’ve seen some family members become enthusiastic about being able to connect much more directly with people and issues. It may well be that start of a revolution in charity.
Over [...]

Tags: Philanthropy
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Posted on Tuesday, 23rd December 2008 by chris wignall

Nonprofit guru Peter Brinckerhoff just posted his thoughts on what he hopes the future of nonprofits could hold. Here are a couple from him:
3. I want funders of all kinds (foundations, corporations, government, individuals) to accept the fact that when they fund nonprofits, they purchase services, they don’t get to control the nonprofits in ways [...]

Tags: Philanthropy
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Posted on Thursday, 11th December 2008 by chris wignall

I’ve always been something of a jargon junkie. When I enter a new subculture I quickly seek to understand and adopt the particular language that marks one as a member. That has also been true in Philanthropy.
The most difficult word to parse has been “Partner” as I blogged about months ago.
In our society the word [...]

Tags: Catalyst, Partners, Philanthropy
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Posted on Tuesday, 28th October 2008 by chris wignall

Seth Godin again. This time passing on someone else’s writing.
I got a nice thank you today from a fundraiser at a great organization in Toronto; which was interesting because we didn’t send them any funds. Instead they appreciated that I’d taken an hour recently to talk with them about how Catalyst prefers to be approached [...]

Tags: Leadership, Philanthropy
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Posted on Friday, 26th September 2008 by chris wignall

As the world of small scale loans to developing world entrepreneurs continues to seek increasingly effective ways to engage new donors and take advantage of the potential of the internet and the decentralized nature of a digital world there continue to be new possibilities opening up.
Thanks to Mark Petersen at Bridgeway I can let you [...]

Tags: Partners, Philanthropy
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Posted on Wednesday, 24th September 2008 by chris wignall

Years ago I interviewed for a job and during the process I was told the salary was based on the pay grid of school teachers in the region. That was quite appealing, but the actual salary offered was quite a bit less. It seems the salary grid was a basis only in terms of being [...]

Tags: Catalyst, Leadership, Philanthropy
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Posted on Sunday, 3rd August 2008 by chris wignall

This from Fred Smith (who posts a lot of interesting articles on Facebook).
It raises some excellent questions about the role of foundations relative to those we desire to help. Obviously there is bound to be some question about the quality of the work done by the Gates Foundation. Just as there is criticism of Bono’s [...]

Tags: Leadership, Philanthropy
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Posted on Friday, 1st August 2008 by chris wignall

In my role with Catalyst I am responsible for the distribution of a much larger budget than most people or families will give over decades. In my private life the scale is much more modest. In both cases, I want to make the most impact with the resources I have.
For smaller private donors there is [...]

Tags: Philanthropy, Resources
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Posted on Tuesday, 22nd July 2008 by chris wignall

A telemarketing call made me feel guilty last night.
About 8:20pm yesterday Kristen was finishing up bedtime with my sons and I was tidying up the kitchen when the phone rang. I grabbed it quick (don’t disturb bedtime) and was greeted by a friendly voice who identified herself as from the Cerebral Palsy foundation, calling to [...]

Tags: Partners, Philanthropy
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