 |
December 2004-January 2005
Resources & Links
Activities, Web sites and other cutting-edge information for global givers
First online database launched for cross-border giving in Europe
The Brussels-based King Baudoin Foundation (www.kbs-frb.be) has launched what is describes as the first online, interactive databank aimed at facilitating cross-border philanthropy in Europe. The Giving in Europe website -- www.givingineurope.org -- helps donors and their advisors understand the complex fiscal and legal rules that frequently serve as barriers to borderless giving in Europe, and offers concrete solutions to the specific situations that arise when a donor is in a different country from the intended beneficiary. The website currently covers 16 countries. Giving in Europe also provides information on the state of cross-border philanthropy, needed improvements and strategies for implementing them, key players in the sector, and an overview of the nonprofit sector in Europe with national and international databases of potential beneficiaries. The initiative was implemented with support from the Conference of Notaries of the European Union (CNUE), the European Foundation Centre, and fiscal and legal specialists. (King Baudoin Foundation press release)
A Glimmer of Hope: update on social investment in Ethiopia
Business Week's annual report on giving includes an online interview with venture philanthropists Philip and Donna Berber, profiled in the July 2001 issue of Global Giving Matters. Following Philip Berber's sale in 2000 of his electronic brokerage group CyBerCorp, the Berbers created an endowment of $100 million for a new family foundation, A Glimmer of Hope (AGOH -- www.aglimmerofhope.org). AGOH relies on business principles in its development partnerships with community-based organizations in Ethiopia in the areas of health, education, water and famine relief. The Berbers have recently expanded their efforts to inner-city areas in London and their home base of Austin, Texas. In the Business Week interview, posted November 29, Donna Berber describes how her first visit to Ethiopia was instrumental in defining her philanthropic goals, and how subsequent trips with her family have instilled a strong social responsibility ethic in their three children. Philip Berber remains firmly committed to a businesslike approach to philanthropy, saying it is time for donors to "stop thinking in terms of giving anything away," and assume the mindset of investors instead. Like many other philanthropists of their generation, the Berbers plan to invest the bulk of their fortune for social good during their lifetimes. (Business Week, November 29, 2004).
What would it take to really get global philanthropy going? Experts weigh in
The December, 2004 issue of Alliance magazine includes a special focus on the state of global philanthropy and what needs to be done to keep the growing movement going. Guest editor Adele Simmons, President of the Global Philanthropy Partnership and a member of Synergos' Board of Directors, assembled a distinguished group of experts from around the globe who provided insights on the current state of giving in their respective regions of the world; views on major topics such as diaspora giving, tax incentives and the public perception of NGOs; existing and proposed mechanisms to stimulate giving by making it easier; and how to motivate people to give in the first place. Among the common themes that emerged was the need for givers, both institutional and individual, to have more direct, personal contact with communities where aid is required. Fortunately, this need meshes with a desire on the part of many donors to become personally involved in the process of change. Alliance will host an online discussion on the subject of promoting global giving on Social Edge early in 2005, using some of the material in its December issue as background reading. For information about the online event, email alliance@allavida.org. Alliance is published quarterly by Allavida ("Alliances for voluntary initiatives and development"), an international development organization based in the United Kingdom.
Gates Foundation principals see benefit in the bully pulpit
Known for their commitment to building innovative philanthropic partnerships, Bill and Melinda Gates were initially reluctant to work alongside other groups when they launched their foundation five years ago, Melinda Gates acknowledged in a recent interview with the Chronicle of Philanthropy. "I don't think we had a full appreciation for just how important it is to work in close partnership. We have come to see that it needs to be a core operating principle for our foundation, because we simply don't have the knowledge or resources necessary to solve by ourselves a single one of the big challenges we're taking on." As the Chronicle story observes, strategic partnerships to promote global health, education, libraries, and regional projects in the Pacific Northwest region of the US have become a hallmark of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in the five years since it opened its doors. In wide-ranging interviews with the Gateses and Foundation executives, the Chronicle concludes that Bill and Melinda Gates have grown more comfortable in using their status as celebrities to draw attention to the causes they care about; remain committed to not letting their foundation's clout overshadow other philanthropic players; and plan to seek new opportunities in the foundation's established areas of grantmaking rather than branching out into new fields. Also featured in the three-part Chronicle story is the Gates Foundation's partnership with Seattle-based NGO, VillageReach, profiled in the January 2004 issue of Global Giving Matters. (Chronicle of Philanthropy, November 11, 2004)
© 2005 The Synergos Institute
|
|
|
