Opinions - 14 March 2016 What does it mean to be a foundation nowadays? Part II Part Two: There is nothing so stable as change In this series of blogs, I’m considering what it means to be a European foundation today: what are the…
Opinions - 17 February 2016 What does it mean to be a foundation nowadays? Part I Part one: On diversity, adaptability and the art of acupuncture European foundations can be encapsulated in one word: diversity. They have diverse characteristics in terms of their origin, focus, size,…
Elizabeth O’Connor Opinions - 17 February 2016 The European Climate Foundation’s monitoring and evaluation journey “Why does the European Climate Foundation (ECF) monitor and evaluate?” This was the question that started the ECF’s M&E journey. The answers include: to help see where we are going,…
Joanna Mikulski Opinions - 17 February 2016 It’s time for philanthropy to demand more evidence-informed communications Do you feel like your organisation’s communications efforts are too often about “sending stuff out into the ether”? If so, you’re not alone. I recently heard this sentiment expressed during…
Andrew Chapman Opinions - 3 February 2016 The investment challenges faced by small and medium-sized foundations Small and medium-sized foundations (with assets, say, below 600 million euros) face a particular set of issues in maximising their investment returns while minimising their investment risks. Three obvious difficulties…
Nicolas Krausz Opinions - 28 January 2016 The Commons as a path for philanthropy to catalyse system change In its quest to promote deep progressive change within society, philanthropy is often blamed for addressing the symptoms rather than the roots of problems. In other words, we seem to…
Anne-France Simon Opinions - 26 January 2016 Towards Philanthropy 2.0 In the current climate, crowdfunding represents a very welcome financial innovation, both for innovative companies that banks sometimes regard as too risky, and for non-profit-making enterprises and charity organisations which…
Urs V. Arnold Opinions - 18 January 2016 The myth of free education – Why investment in private higher education is worth it Whilst academic education at private universities is recognised and has a high reputation in countries such as the United States, Great Britain or Japan the private operators in Germany permanently…
Urs V. Arnold Opinions - 14 December 2015 Know the unexpected: Risk Management at Jacobs Foundation In addition to the risks emerging from the financial and economic crises, philanthropic organisations also need to deal with arising risks. Therefore, the Jacobs Foundation has complemented its internal control…
Jesper Nygård Opinions - 16 November 2015 Collective Impact – Together we can achieve much more than any of us can alone Floodings. Social exclusion. Pollution. Poverty. Lack of resources. What unites these societal challenges, which I believe we all can relate to? They are characteristics of the world today. They are…