Giving Thought
Giving Thought
Charities Aid Foundation's Giving Thought podcast explored the big issues, themes and news stories relating to philanthropy and the work of civil society. This podcast is no longer produced.
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Top 10 Giving Thought Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Giving Thought episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Giving Thought for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Giving Thought episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
Modern Grantmaking, with Gemma Bull & Tom Steinberg
Giving Thought
07/13/21 • 61 min
In this episode Rhod sat down with Gemma Bull and Tom Steinberg, authors of new book "Modern Grantmaking: A Guide for Funders Who Believe Better is Possible". In a wide-ranging conversation, we discussed:
Humility & Funder Ego
- Why is humility such a key part of Modern Grantmaking?
- Is part of the problem that traditionally our idea of what it means to be “good at grantmaking” has revolved around attributing genius to funders and grantmakers in terms of their choices/program design, rather than on the extent to which they nurture grantees?
- Do we need to redefine what counts as success and failure in grantmaking?
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
- Does grantmaking have a diversity problem?
- Are funders more effective when they reflect more closely the people and communities they serve? In what ways can they achieve this?
- Do some grantmaking practices exclude people from already-marginalised communities? (E.g. focus on the written-word, invitation-based grantmaking etc.)
Privilege & Power
- Is traditional grantmaking paternalistic, and too often about decisions being made about communities rather than by them?
- The book emphasises that modern grantmakers should see themselves as serving the people and communities they fund– what does this mean in practice?
- Why is it so important for grantmakers to check their privilege, and what does this mean in practice?
- How do you navigate power dynamics within a grantmaking org- e.g. between trustees and grantmakers, or between philanthropic donors and the staff of a foundation?
Participation & Movements
- There is a growing amount of focus on participatory approaches to grantmaking at the moment as part of the solution to the criticisms being levelled at philanthropy. How much of the rhetoric is reflected in reality?
- Would all grantmaking be participatory in an ideal world? Or are there limits to participatory approaches? i.e. are there some situations in which it is better for expert funders to set aims and design programs? Or are there cause areas in which participatory approaches are not suitable for other reasons?
- Would it help if more funders supported grassroots organisations and movements?
Funding practices
- Are there signs that funders are changing their behaviour during the current crisis? (Moving to unrestricted funding, trust-based grantmaking etc.) Is this likely to lead to longer-term changes?
Risk and Innovation
- Many have argued that a key function of philanthropic funding is to drive society forward by taking risks and funding things that the state and market cannot – but how much current philanthropic grantmaking do you think meets this criterion?
- Is there a danger that “being innovative” becomes an end in itself, and results in continual chasing after shiny new things, rather than funding things that are already known to work?
Evidence and Impact
- The book argues that modern grantmaking requires more of a focus on evidence-based decisions- what kinds of evidence should grantmakers be considering?
- Do we need to ensure that different kinds of evidence and expertise are considered equally, in order to avoid perpetuating inequalities?
- What role can data play in making grantmaking more effective and equitable?
Related Links:
06/29/21 • 55 min
In this episode we're joined by Lori Bezahler, President of the Edward W. Hazen Foundation, to discuss the role of philanthropy in supporting racial justice and funding grassroots organizing or social movements. Including:
Racial Justice
- Is racial injustice such a big/cross-cutting issues that it should not be seen as a cause area, but rather as something that is the responsibility of ALL philanthropic funders and nonprofits?
- What does this mean in practice re racial justice issues? (E.g. supporting more grantees led by BIPOC leaders, promoting more BIPOC employees into positions of authority within foundations, acknowledging where philanthropic assets have been created in ways that exacerbated racial injustice, paying reparations etc?)
- Should we be optimistic that the current recognition of the need to apply a racial justice lens across philanthropy will be maintained?
The “Movement Moment”
- Is the current enthusiasm for social movements reflective of a frustration people have that traditional nonprofits have failed to move the needle on issues such as the climate crisis or racial justice?
- Is the fact that participation is inherent to the approach of social movements part of their appeal, as it gives people a greater sense of agency over problems that can seem insurmountable?
- Are traditional nonprofits and funders too often a reflection of existing systems and power structures to push for the kind of radical solutions we need to deal with huge global, structural challenges?
- Does the ability of social movements to be more overtly political, or to employ more challenging tactics (e.g. protest, direct action), give them an advantage over civil society organisations (CSOs) that might be more constrained by legal/regulatory requirements?
- Can movements that have grown to huge scale very quickly find that they are lacking some of the elements of organisations infrastructure that they might need if they are to be sustainable over the longer-term? If so, can traditional CSOs and nonprofits work with them to provide some of that infrastructure? Does this happen in practice?
Funding movements
- How can a funder determine where best to allocate their resources in order to support a movement most effectively?
- How big a risk is there that foundations and other funders co-opt social movements by deliberately introducing grant stipulations etc. aimed to direct the focus of the movement away from controversial areas or soften their tactics?
- Can funding from donors/foundations confer legitimacy on movements as well as financial resources? Is this useful for the movements?
- Can funders use their power positively on behalf of the movements they fund?
- Why is core-cost and multi-year funding so important when supporting movements? Are we seeing more funders recognise this and adapt the way they fund?
Spending Down
- The Hazen Foundation took the bold decision in 2019 to spend down its remaining endowment over 5 years. What was the rationale for doing this at this point, after nearly 100 years of operating?
- What is the foundation aiming to fund over the coming years to ensure the foundation leaves a strong legacy?
- Should more foundations should consider spending down?
Mission Related Investment
- Why did the Hazen Foundation decide to take a fully mission-related investment approach? What does this mean in practice?
- Does this involve going beyond screening to look for active opportunities to invest in activities that further the foundation’s mission?
- How are trade-offs between financial return and social impact assessed?
Related Links:
- The Edward W. Hazen Foundation
- Lori’s Chronicle of Philanthropy opinion piece, “To Achieve Justice, Philanthropy Must Give Up Its Power”
- Lori’s joint article with Lateefah Simon in Chronicle of Philanthropy, “How Foundations Can Grapple With the Reality That Their Wealth Was Accumulated Unjustly”
- Lori’s piece for Inside Philanthropy, “Philanthropy Has a Duty to Respond Quickly to the COVID-19 Outbreak. Here’s How We Can Do It”
- Our Giving Thought podcast interview with Regan Ralph
- Our Giving Thought podcast interview with
06/15/21 • 53 min
In this episode we talk to Jo Kerr and Sonya Ruparel, from UK charity Turn2Us, about poverty, participation and the impact of the pandemic. Including:
Impact of Covid Pandemic
- How has the Covid 19 pandemic affected Turn 2 Us, and the people and communities the charity serves?
- What are the biggest challenges for the organisation over the coming months and longer-term post-pandemic?
Digital Transformation
- Has the necessity to adapt due to the pandemic accelerated Turn2Us’s digital adoption or transformation at all? If so, how?
- How important is the collection and use of data to the charity’s work? How is a focus on data incorporated into the organisation’s strategy?
- To what extent is digital transformation about employment practices rather than technology? (E.g. flexible/remote working, making charity work more appealing than private or public sector). Has the pandemic presented an opportunity in this regard?
- How might the charity workplace change over the next decade or so?
- What are the major barriers to the charity sector when it comes to engaging with and making use of technology?
Poverty
- What, for Turn 2 Us, are the key areas of focus when it comes to tackling poverty?
- How have issues of poverty changed during the pandemic?
- Do particular communities or geographic localities face particular challenges when it comes to the impacts of poverty? How do you combine the specificity to address these particular challenges with the generality required to work at scale?
Role of charities
- What is the core role of civil society which differentiates it from either state or market provision?
- A lot of the work of Turn 2 Us is about helping people to understand and claim rights and benefits provided by the state- so is it more about “justice” than “charity”?
- How should we view the balance between addressing the symptoms of poverty through direct services and addressing its causes through advocating for fundamental systemic reform?
Participation & Power
- Turn 2 Us’s approach is rooted in ideas of co-production and empowering those in need to determine their own solutions. Why is this so important?
- What should we make of approaches such as participatory grantmaking, which seek to shift power as well as money towards recipients? Will we see more of this in coming years?
Infrastructure
- Has the Covid pandemic highlighted the importance of strong civil society infrastructure?
- What are the key elements of this infrastructure?
- How do we ensure that infrastructure is fit for the challenges of the future?
Related Links
- The Turn2Us website
- Independent article about Turn2Us new benefits calculator, “The new financial tools supporting those hit hardest by Covid”
- Rhod’s Giving Thought blog on “Mutual Aid, Charity & Philanthropy”
- Rhod’s Giving Thought blog on “Philanthropy and Civil Society after Covid-19: Key questions for the future”
- Our Giving Thought podcast series on “Covid 19: Voices From Civil Society”
06/01/21 • 57 min
In this episode we talk participatory approaches in philanthropy and social investment, with Meg Massey, co-author of “Letting Go: How Philanthropists and Impact Investors Can Do More Good by Giving Up Control” and Hannah Paterson, Senior Portfolio Manager at the National Lottery Community Fund. Including:
- There is a growing amount of focus on participatory approaches to grantmaking at the moment as part of the solution to the criticisms being levelled at philanthropy. How much of the rhetoric is reflected in reality?
- If there is resistance to adopting participatory approaches, why is this?
- What’s the core case for adopting participatory approaches: that it democratises philanthropy (and thus helps to answer various critiques) or that it results in better outcomes? Or is it both?
- What different kinds of models of participatory grantmaking are there?
- What kind of challenges are there for traditional grantmakers when it comes to bringing communities and people with lived experience into decision making processes?
- Do participants in a grantmaking decision process need to be representative of a wider community? If so, how do you select them to ensure that representation?
- How can existing grantmakers transition some or all of their grantmaking to participatory methods?
- Would all grantmaking be participatory in an ideal world? Or are there limits to participatory approaches? i.e. are there some situations in which it is better for expert funders to set aims and design programs? Or are there cause areas in which participatory approaches are not suitable for other reasons?
- Can participatory approaches be used outside traditional grantmaking too, e.g. in impact investing/social investment?
- Does the prominence of XR, BLM and other “new power” organisations suggest an unmet demand within civil society for participation and sharing power? What lessons should traditional CSOs and funders take from this?
- What should we make of criticisms that since philanthropy is to some extent a product of structural inequality, it can never truly be part of the solution? Are some donors and funders recognise the challenges and are genuinely pursuing structural change?
Related Links
- Meg’s new book (co-authored with Ben Wrobel) “Letting Go: How Philanthropists and Impact Investors Can Do More Good by Giving Up Control”
- Meg on Twitter
- Hannah’s website
- Hannah on Twitter
- The Participatory Grantmaking community
- Meg and Ben’s article for Pioneers Post “How philanthropists and impact investors can do more good – by giving up control”
- Meg and Ben’s article for NonProfit Quarterly “Philanthropy and the Zen of Participation”
- Rhod’s World Economic Forum article, “Philanthropy is at a turning point. Here are 6 ways it could go”
- CAF Giving Thought podcast on participatory philanthropy with Rose Longhurst
05/18/21 • 51 min
On this episode we talk to Teddy Schleifer, Senior Reporter, Money & Influence at Recode (part of the Vox Media group), about billionaires, Silicon Valley and philanthropy. Including:
Silicon Valley Philanthropy
- Do most tech billionaires see their wealth as “self-made”, or do they recognise any sense of societal debt, luck etc? How does this shape their giving?
- How does the wider public view the philanthropy of modern tech billionaires?
- Are tech donors particularly prone to solutionism or a desire for “moonshots” in their philanthropy?
- Are many big tech donors happy with the idea of giving away power as well as money? Or are they likely to want to retain control of decision-making about their philanthropy? Does this make them any different to other big money donors?
- Are donors like Mackenzie Scott, who seem to be trying to shift power as well as financial resources through her philanthropy, merely outliers; or do they signal a wider trend?
Reporting on Philanthropy
- Why is it important to have journalists focussing on philanthropy?
- How do you balance focussing on the individual stories of philanthropists vs systemic issues about philanthropy as a whole?
- Is there an argument for more philanthropic funding of journalistic scrutiny of philanthropy?
- Could increased philanthropic funding of news media actually undermine journalism’s ability to hold philanthropy itself to account? (E.g. if outlets self-censor to avoid upsetting existing or potential patrons).
Critiques of Philanthropy
- Is there a danger that scrutiny can tip over into cynicism when it comes to philanthropy?
- Should we worry that the growing wave of scepticism, and even cynicism towards philanthropy, will have a negative impact on people’s willingness to give?
- Of the current critiques levelled at philanthropy, which are potentially misguided or overstated, and which are genuinely important to heed?
- Do these critiques only really apply to big money/elite philanthropy?
Transparency in Philanthropy
- Do wealthy donors deliberately use philanthropy to deflect or preclude criticism of their business dealings, tax affairs etc, or are reputational benefits merely a side-effect of genuinely altruistic behaviour in some cases?
- Do foundations (and donors) need to be more transparent? If so, why and about what? Who does it benefit (the foundations themselves, their donors, grantees, taxpayers etc.)
- Should we be concerned about the growing trend for elite donors to use LLCs and other vehicles that may be less transparent?
Related Links
- Some of Teddy’s Recode articles:
- “What Americans really think about billionaires during the pandemic”
- Jeff Bezos will spend $1 billion a year to fight climate change
- America’s billionaire philanthropists gave away more during the pandemic. But there’s a catch
- MacKenzie Scott, the Amazon billionaire, is giving away $1 billion a month to charity
- Jeff Bezos plays it safe on his $10 billion climate giveaway
- CAF Giving Thought podcast on “Mackenzie Scott and the Reimagining of Philanthropy”.
- CAF Giving Thought podcast on “Jeff Bezos, Big Philanthropy and Climate Change”
- Rhod’s 2020 Alliance article “Bezos’ $10bn donation should not pitch philanthropy and taxation against each other – that would be a zero-sum game”
- Rhod’s 2018 Alliance article “Philanthropy should fund the media for its own sake”
05/04/21 • 41 min
In this episode we talk to Denis Mizne, CEO of Lemann Foundation - Brazil’s largest educational funder – about philanthropy in Brazil during the Covid-19 pandemic and the Lemann Foundation’s pivot to supporting vaccine trials in the country. Including:
Vaccination
- How and why did Lemann Foundation get involved in Covid vaccine trials?
- How does this fit with the foundations normal focus on education and leadership, and will it result in any shift of focus longer-term?
- Is there a danger that ongoing controversies about the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, and about the distribution of vaccines more broadly will have a knock-on impact on trust in philanthropy?
Education & Leadership
- How has the Covid pandemic affected education in Brazil and what has Lemann Foundation done in response?
- Will the pandemic have a lasting impact on children’s education in the country and how is the foundation adapting its strategy to reflect this?
- A key focus of Lemann Foundation’s funding is developing leadership- what is the theory behind this?
- Are their challenges when it comes to assessing the impact of leadership development, where timescales may be very long-term and outcomes may be widely dispersed and difficult to link to interventions?
- Are foundations uniquely well-placed to follow these kinds of long-term/upstream strategies?
Philanthropy in Brazil
- What does the landscape of philanthropy in Brazil look like? E.g. how much HNWI giving is there? How much mass market giving? What role does corporate philanthropy play? What role do foundations play?
- What kind of domestic causes receive philanthropic funding in Brazil? Is there any cross-border giving to other countries?
- What is the attitude of the Brazilian government towards civil society in general?
- What is the attitude of the Brazilian government towards philanthropy?
- What is the attitude of the Brazilian public towards philanthropy?
Philanthropy in Wider Context
- What is the core role of philanthropy within society which differentiates it from either state or market provision?
- Do recent critiques of philanthropy in the US and elsewhere resonate in the Brazilian context?
- Why should we not see philanthropy as the “solution” to intractable social problems in isolation, and how do we get better cross-sector collaboration?
Related links
- https://fundacaolemann.org.br/en
- Denis’s Alliance Magazine article “Vaccination and collaboration: what we can achieve in a divided world”
- Denis’s Alliance magazine article “We must develop talent and leadership to meet the challenges of the post-Covid world”
- Interview with Denis about Lemann Foundation’s vaccine trial work in Alliance magazine (£)
- CAF’s Global Alliance partner in Brazil, IDIS
- CAF’s 2019 Brazil Giving report
- Rhod’s article for Stanford Social Innovation Review (with Paula Fabiani from IDIS) “Brazil’s New Endowment Law Could Strengthen Philanthropy and Democracy Around the Globe”
04/20/21 • 58 min
In this episode we talk to Andy Haldane, Chief Economist of the Bank of England about his long-standing interest in civil society, why he thinks it is so important yet undervalued, and what sort of challenges and opportunities the coming years may bring. We also have some analysis and additional insight from CAF CEO Neil Heslop.
Including:
The economy and charitable giving
- If the UK economy is like a “coiled spring”, and once lockdown measures are relaxed we will see a significant bounce-back as people start to spend again, will we also see a corresponding rise in charitable giving?
- Are there any concerns that some charities will have lost operational and fundraising capacity as a result of the pandemic, and this might limit their ability to harness any increase in giving?
The Role of Civil Society
- What is the core role of the voluntary sector within society which differentiates it from either state or market provision?
- As the landscape for doing good appears to be expanding (with the emergence of mutual aid networks, digital social movements, purpose-led businesses, impact investing etc) do we need to make a renewed case for the unique value of charitable organisations? If so, what is that USP?
- Should we have any concerns that some of our models for engaging in civil society have become too transactional and thus may not be developing social capital in the way we might want?
Measurement
- Many argue that a major challenge facing civil society is that most current systems of measurement do not capture the full value of what charities and other civil society organisations do. What should we be measuring instead?
- Is this more about better measurement within civil society, or about changing the measures government uses (e.g. GDP) so that they capture a wider notion of value? Or is it both? What would this entail in practice?
- Are there potential risks in putting more emphasis on measurement? E.g. that any measures become targets and thus skew activity (a la Goodhart’s Law); or that the decision about who gets to set measures introduces problematic power dynamics?
Civil Society Narratives & Influence
- Andy has previously argued that “despite its crucial role, the social sector goes largely unnoticed in many policy discussions”- is this primarily due to the current lack of appropriate measurement, or are there wider issues when it comes to our understanding and narratives around civil society?
- How can we get better understanding and clearer narratives about civil society and its role in the minds of policymakers?
- Are there any practical barriers that are currently limiting the ability of civil society to “have a seat at the table” when it comes to policy discussions? What could we do to overcome these?
Infrastructure
- The pandemic has highlighted more starkly than ever how vital it is to have strong infrastructure in civil society. Where are the greatest weaknesses or biggest gaps in existing infrastructure that we need to address?
- How do we get government to think of social infrastructure alongside physical infrastructure?
- What might civil society infrastructure that is fit for the future (rather than based on the structures of the past) look like?
Digital
- Evidence suggest that the charity sector is currently lagging behind in its adaptation to digital technology. What are the key barriers preventing charities from harnessing digital? How can we address these?
- What more could be done to match the existing supply of skills and capacity around technology in the private sector with the potential demand in civil society. How might this work? What role would the private sector, government and the charity sector need to play in making it happen?
- Will the current period of enforced digitisation as a consequence of the COVID pandemic lead to more CSOs engaging with the opportunities and challenges of technology?
Civil Society in the 4th Industrial Revolution
- Civil society played a key role in previous periods of rapid social and technological change - by helping people and communities to navigate challenges and opportunities, and by speaking out against any unintended harms of progress. Is civil society in a position to play this vital role in the current Fourth Industrial Revolution? If not, why not? What do we need to do to strengthen civil society capacity in this regard?
- What are some of the biggest opportunities that emerging technology could bring for civil society?
- Could widespread automation lead to a blurring of the boundaries between our notions of work, volunteering and leisure? Will we need to adjust our understanding and narratives of civil society accordingly?
- Should civil society organi...
Sport, Philanthropy & Civil Society
Giving Thought
02/23/21 • 63 min
In this episode we look at the relationship between sport, philanthropy and civil society through history and up to the present day. Including:
Sportspeople as donors
- Big name examples of sportspeople who give generously: David Beckham, Roger Federer, Cristiano Ronaldo, Serena Williams, Andre Agassi
- What drives this high-profile giving? Altruism, or brand-management/PR?
- Lance Armstrong and the potential risks of making philanthropy over-reliant on the individual
- Does the fact that many sportspeople’s careers end relatively early leave them searching for purpose, and can philanthropy fill that gap?
- Can philanthropy be partly motivate by a desire to create positive narrative about wealth accrued through sport?
- Is sport one area where people from poor backgrounds can become rich, and what does this mean for their approach to philanthropy?
Sportspeople as campaigners
- Are some sportspeople perceived as campaigners simply by virtue of who they are?
- When have sportspeople campaigned for change within their sport and when have they taken on wider social issues?
- After many notable examples of campaigning by sportspeople in the 1960s and 70s, why did we see a decline in the 1980s and 1990s?
- Are we seeing a resurgence in campaigning by sportspeople, with figures like Colin Kapaernick, Megan Rapinoe and Marcus Rashford coming to the fore?
- How do sports fans perceive campaigning by sportspeople?
Sports and Fundraising
- The long history of sporting charity fundraising events and the role of charity matches in the evolution of professional football
- Sportspeople fundraising: from the traditional of testimonial matches to raise money for players’ retirements to sportspeople taking on charity fundraising challenges in other sports
- Has the pandemic hit sports fundraising particularly hard, and what does this mean for charities that rely on running events etc?
Sports clubs and civil society
- What is the history of the relationship between sports clubs and voluntary associations?
- How did the development of sporting associations helped to foster civic engagement skills and ideals of mutual aid?
- What is the role of modern sports clubs as corporate donors?
- Is owning sports club a form of philanthropy...?
- What role do clubs play in acting as community anchors and giving people a sense of shared identity? How can this inform social action?
Related Links
- CAF Giving Thought blog on Marcus Rashford, Dolly Parton & Public Perceptions of Philanthropy
- CAF Giving Thought blog on mutual aid post-Covid
- CAF Giving Thought podcast on mutual aid, charity & philanthropy
- CAF Giving Thought podcast with Jon Dean
- 2013 NY Times article about Lance Armstrong’s philanthropy
- HistPhil article “Giving Athletes: Why Sports Philanthropy Deserves Our Attention”
- Forbes, “The New Wave of Female Soccer Players as Philanthropists”
- BBC article, “Why Wealthy Sport Stars Get Passionate About Charity”
- The Common Goal Initiative
- The PFA page on player foundations
- Kay & Vamplew, “Beyond altruism: British football and charity, 1877–1914”
- Vamplew, “’I
MacKenzie Scott & the Reimagining of Philanthropy
Giving Thought
01/26/21 • 47 min
In this episode we take a look at the philanthropic giving of MacKenzie Scott (former wife of Jeff Bezos), who has garnered a great deal of attention and praise for the scale, pace and approach of her philanthropy. We ask: what are the key aspects of received wisdom about giving that she is rejecting? And will this lead to wider changes in how big money philanthropy works in future? Including:
-Rejecting the myth of the "self-made billionaire", in favour of recognition that luck, privilege & reliance on wider society are always factors in wealth creation.
-Rejecting the Carnegian idea that "it's harder to give money away intelligently than earn it", and that if you're willing to cede power & give unrestricted grants it's actually eminently possible.
-Rejecting the idea that philanthropy needs to be done slowly, or that it should aim towards perpetuity.
-Rejecting the idea that grants need to be restricted or short-term.
-Rejecting the idea that the donor has all the answers or should set the agenda
-Rejecting the idea that being "strategic" means being top-down or technocratic.
-Rejecting the idea that we need to maintain distance between donor and grantee, or avoid human connection in philanthropy.
-Rejecting the idea that philanthropy by itself can ever be a solution to inequality.
-Rejecting the idea that philanthropy needs to be secretive or opaque.
Related Links:
- MacKenzie Scott's July 2020 and December 2020 Medium posts
- Vox article on MacKenzie Scott's philanthropy
- Marker piece on MacKenzie Scott's background story
- Giving Thought podcast with Paul Vallely
- Giving Thought podcast on Jeff Bezos, Big Philanthropy and Climate Change
- Giving Thought podcast on philanthropy and structure
- Giving Thought podcast on philanthropy and rationality
- Giving Thought podcast on philanthropic pledges
Philanthropy, Domestic Violence & Partnering with the Public Sector, with Stelio Stefanou
Giving Thought
08/03/21 • 47 min
In this episode we talk to Stelio Stefanou OBE, philanthropist and Founder of the For Baby’s Sake Trust (FBST) - a charity which focuses on working with parents to address the impact of domestic violence on the early years development of children. In a wide-ranging conversation, we discussed:
- Is “philanthropist” a helpful or unhelpful word?
- How does a business background shape approaches to philanthropy?
- Why is it important to recognise that success in business doesn’t automatically equate to expertise about social issues or the work of charities?
- Why is an evidence base so crucial to the work of FBST? How has the organisation worked with academics to build that evidence base?
- How important is it that philanthropy looks beyond addressing symptoms and tries to address underlying causes?
- Are there challenges to combining advocacy with direct provision of services, or do the two naturally go hand-in-hand?
- How has the pandemic affected the work of FBST?
- What, if anything, is the USP of philanthropy in relation to the public or private sector?
- Does the ability of philanthropy to work over a longer time horizon make it better suited to supporting early interventions?
- Do you see yourself as having any responsibility to encourage other wealthy people to give, or is giving entirely down to personal choice?
- Should philanthropists see themselves as having any responsibility to encourage other wealthy people to give, or is giving entirely down to personal choice?
- Is there a danger that the growing wave of scepticism, and even cynicism towards philanthropy, will have a negative impact on people’s willingness to give?
- Des fear of “failure” hold some wealthy people back from engaging in philanthropy? How should we understand failure in philanthropy (and how is this different to failure in the public or private sector?)
Related Links:
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FAQ
How many episodes does Giving Thought have?
Giving Thought currently has 124 episodes available.
What topics does Giving Thought cover?
The podcast is about Non-Profit, Society & Culture, Charity, Nonprofit, Podcasts, Business and Philanthropy.
What is the most popular episode on Giving Thought?
The episode title 'Philanthropy, Domestic Violence & Partnering with the Public Sector, with Stelio Stefanou' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on Giving Thought?
The average episode length on Giving Thought is 41 minutes.
How often are episodes of Giving Thought released?
Episodes of Giving Thought are typically released every 13 days, 23 hours.
When was the first episode of Giving Thought?
The first episode of Giving Thought was released on May 24, 2017.
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