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October-November 2003
Resources & Links
Activities, Web sites and other cutting-edge information for global givers
Individual donors: an overlooked resource
Donor education matters, and it needs to be greatly expanded and improved, concludes a new study mapping the growth of formal programs to assist philanthropists in their giving practices. Despite the emergence in the US of a "cottage industry" of donor education programs and services across the philanthropic landscape, the report notes that most individual donors aren't even aware of the learning opportunities that do exist. The study, Philanthropy's Forgotten Resource? Engaging the Individual Donor, is a product of the Donor Education Initiative, a project launched in 2001 by New Visions PRD (www.newvisionsprd.org), a nonprofit philanthropic research and development organization. To shape the next generation of philanthropists, donor education needs to boost the capacity of providers, greatly extend its reach, fix its economics and build itself as a true field, say authors Dan Siegel and Jenny Yancey. The summary and full reports, as well as other resources on donor education, are available on New Visions PRD's website.
Case studies offer real-life guidance
Worldwide Initiatives for Grantmaker Support (WINGS -- www.wingsweb.org), has just published two volumes of case studies from its network of organizations. Volume 1 provides diverse insights into the work of grantmaker associations on topics such as organisation, management, governance, sustainability and member services. An essay by Barry Gaberman of the Ford Foundation, WINGS' chaiman emeritus, spells out the value of these little-studied associations, and their role in strengthening philanthropy. Volume 2 focuses on community foundation support, offering profiles of eight diverse regional and national organisations, and an overview of key trends and lessons learned. The case studies were produced with support from the Ford Foundation and the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation and are available online at the WINGS website.
Europe's top 40 biggest spending foundations ranked
Philanthropy in Europe magazine (www.philanthropyineurope.com) has published the first continent-wide ranking of Europe's biggest-spending foundations, listing the top 40 by grant expenditure. Foundations from Germany, Italy and the UK dominate the ranking, with nine other countries represented. The biggest spender, UK's Wellcome Trust, made grants of over €700 million, far ahead of second place Fundación La Caixa of Spain (€169 million), the Spanish savings bank foundation. Despite giving significantly less than their US counterparts, European foundations are a great deal more international in their giving, the ranking revealed. Nearly all of the 40 foundations gave outside their countries, while only 14 of the US biggest spending foundations made international grants. The magazine also included a ranking of Europe's top 10 wealthiest foundations, which together held assets of an estimated €57 billion in 2002, up from €52 billion in 2000. (PNNOnline, August 11)
Alliance magazine examines nonprofit organization accountability
The December issue of Alliance (www.allavida.org/alliance/) focuses on the accountability of nonprofit organizations. It includes an interview with Paul Brest, President of the Hewlett Foundation, about the importance of discussing failures and, more generally, about foundation accountability, as well other articles examining innovative approaches to nonprofit accountability around the world. One example is the case of the Philippine Business for Social Progress, which has improved the governance and sustainability of Philippine NGOs by insisting on accountability from itself and its partners.
© 2003 The Synergos Institute
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