February-April 2007
Resources & Links
Activities, Web sites and other cutting-edge information for global givers

Social entrepreneurs debate how to finance growth
Couldn't make it to the 2007 Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship? Don't worry, video broadcasts of all sessions of the conference are available at www.skollfoundation.org. The event, held March 27-29 at Oxford University's Said Business School, drew nonprofit leaders, business people, scholars and policy makers from 40 countries, who focused on the need for more money to finance growth in the field.

Give and Take: a roundup of nonprofit blogs
Give and Take (www.philanthropy.com/giveandtake/), a new service of The Chronicle of Philanthropy online, offers a roundup of the best postings appearing on blogs about the nonprofit world. Surveying dozens of sites on philanthropic giving, fundraising, and management of nonprofit organizations, Give and Take is updated regularly throughout the day. A sampling of recent postings included a discussion of innovative online social-action videos and recommended reading for people who seek inspiration for their antipoverty work. A February 12, 2007 posting in Fundraising for Nonprofits (www.gayleroberts.com), one of the blogs covered in Give and Take, featured Synergos founder Peggy Dulany, one of the thought leaders highlighted in The World We Want, the recent book by Peter Karoff. Karoff is chairman and founder of The Philanthropic Initiative, Inc. and a Synergos board member.

Dulany discusses Global Philanthropists Circle
In the November/December 2006 issue of Contribute magazine (www.contributemedia.com), Peggy Dulany, the great-granddaughter of John D. Rockefeller, Sr., discussed the Global Philanthropists Circle, an organization that she and her father, David Rockefeller, co-founded five years ago to catalyze giving by 70 families in 21 countries. Dulany noted that the Circle's offers a unique, multi-generational, multi-country space where philanthropists can meet and learn from each other. The Global Philanthropists Circle is staffed by The Synergos Institute, the nonprofit organization founded 20 years ago by Dulany to develop effective, sustainable, and locally-based solutions to poverty and inequity, particularly in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

A new look for Philanthropy UK
With its March 2007 issue, Philanthropy UK (www.philanthropyuk.org) has launched an updated format. The new look is part of a rebranding effort, which editor Susan Mackenzie said reflects an increase in activity in British philanthropy since the publication was founded in 2001. This includes a surge of interest in giving by individuals, matched by a growing infrastructure to support it, more media coverage of the field and a renewed commitment by the British government to support charitable giving. Philanthropy UK, an initiative of the Association of Charitable Foundations, aims to inspire new givers, share knowledge and best practices with all those interested in giving, and connect givers to charities, networks and sources of advice and information.

Thinking beyond "checkbook philanthropy"
In a March 18 article, the New York Times examines the growing interest in strategic planning for charitable gifts and the role of support services, such as the Global Philanthropists Circle, in helping philanthropists give effectively. Donors who wish to give strategically are turning to a range of education sources, including programs such as The Philanthropy Workshop West (www.tpwwest.org) created by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the TOSA Foundation and The Rockefeller Foundation. "When you want your money to grow, you go to your banker; for taxes, you go to your accountant. When you want the most impact for your philanthropy, you also need an expert to help you," said Juliette Gimon, a family board member of the Hewlett Foundation, who added that her own participation in TPW West had helped her understand a range of giving strategies. Exchanging ideas with other donors can offer additional types of learning opportunities, both formal and informal, said Gimon, who is also a member of the Global Philanthropists Circle and serves on Synergos' board.

The latest from Alliance
The June 2007 issue of Alliance magazine (www.alliancemagazine.org) will have a special feature on the emerging challenges of global philanthropy, with Peter Laugharn of the Bernard van Leer Foundation as one of the guest editors. In the March 2007 issue on "Philanthrocapitalism," Alliance provided snapshots of the face of new philanthropy around the world. An article on the philanthropic landscape in South Africa noted that a handful of newly wealthy black businessmen have started corporate foundations, including the Mvela Trust of mining executive Tokyo Sexwale. Another prominent businessman, Patrice Motsepe, has a newly established family trust that he plans to play a significant role in directing. Both men are members of Synergos' Global Philanthropists Circle. Another Circle member, Hylton Appelbaum, executive trustee of the Donald Gordon Foundation, is providing leadership through his use of business acumen to guide family philanthropy in innovative directions in South Africa.

 
© 2007 The Synergos Institute