Philanthropy insights
Explore my articles and perspectives about philanthropy and giving.
Charity leader interview #3 Annemarie Shillito
– on the challenges and joys of leading small charities
To guide conversations on philanthropy start with curiosity
How the importance of curiosity that my Dad instilled in me is put to good use in my philanthropy advising practice.
Charity leader interview series #2: Rosemary Stephenson – who shares her top 3 funding frustrations
In this interview, Rosemary sheds light on the challenges of seeking funds for smaller voluntary groups and why you need to think about succession even when you love what you do.
Charity leader interview series #1: Fiona Mahoney makes the case for multi-year, unrestricted funding
Meet Fiona Mahoney, Chief Executive of Reminiscence Learning . Fiona explains what it takes to keep going in the charity sector and makes a heartfelt plea for ‘sloppy funding’.
Three Philanthropy Approaches to Watch
Some thoughts about three philanthropic approaches that are gaining traction.
Philanthropy archives – and why they matter
A conversation with consultant Jayne Lacny helped me answer my questions: when is a box in files in the corner an archive? why don’t we think about archives and why do they matter?
Philanthropy options: To seek or be found?
Mackenzie Scott started out with a proactive approach where she used philanthropy advisors to identify organisations to support. Now she has added a responsive approach, setting up a website, Yield, as a vehicle to accept applications. Here I explore the pros and cons of both methods - proactive and responsive.
Philanthropy in 2023 - predictions
A round up of the predictions for philanthropy and some of my own.
Reflections of a first-time author
Here’s what I have learned from writing my first ever book
Philanthropy and the starfish dilemma
The tale of the starfish is a story used to illustrate one of the choices philanthropists have to consider. It is visually evocative but I have three problems with it.