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The Year of Philanthrowoman

The start of the New Year means that it is time, yet again, to gaze into our philanthrocrystal ball and make our annual predictions. We did OK last year but are hoping to do even better in 2013. Our top theme among our 20 predictions is that 2013 will be a breakthrough year for women […]

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Books of the Year

There has been plenty of relevant new material for philanthrocapitalists to read in 2012. Here, in no particular order, are our top philanthrocapitalism books of the year: 1. Abundance: the Future is Better Than You Think, by Peter Diamandis. The founder of the X Prize has written a much needed dose of optimism at a […]

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Review of the Year

This time last year we stuck out our necks and made ten predictions for philanthrocapitalism in 2012. So how did we do? 1. Greater scrutiny of the 1%. We were right that the US presidential election would focus attention on the role of wealthy donors in shaping the political agenda through their cash donations to […]

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Shorting for Good?

“It’s gonna be a big number,” predicted hedge fund boss Bill Ackman on Thursday December 20th, as he launched one of the more innovative examples of philanthrocapitalism we have seen. He had spent the previous three hours making the case that Herbalife, a vitamin supplements company which a day earlier boasted a stock market value […]

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A ‘Bloomberg’ for Impact Investors

Can the new trend of impact, or social, investing live up to the hype? That question was debated earlier this week in the New York Times, on the back of a report by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation about its, largely positive, experience of investing for social good as well as financial returns. Matthew is quoted […]

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Making a success of #givingtuesday

So, after many months of growing anticipation, #givingtuesday has arrived. All around America, people will be making their personal giving pledges to support their favourite good causes with time and/or money. Many will write the pledge down on a sheet of paper, photo themselves, and post the picture on facebook and twitter, to encourage their […]

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Toilet Humour for Social Good

When you are known as Mr Toilet, you are allowed to tell the occasional fart joke. When Jack Sim, aka Mr Toilet, met Matthew in Mumbai earlier this year, the head of the World Toilet Organisation was trying to convince a local actress to appear in a Bollywood movie about the dangers of lousy sanitation. […]

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#givingtuesday

This November 27th will be the first #givingtuesday in America (and perhaps elsewhere), a new national day focused on getting everyone – individuals and organizations alike – to make a fresh commitment to give. The final few weeks of the year, with their important religious and national holidays, have long been a time when people […]

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More Taxing Questions for Philanthropy

So, after needlessly offending Britain’s philanthropists by calling them tax dodgers, George Osborne, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, has sensibly abandoned his plans to limit the tax deductibility of their giving. This U-turn is embarrassing for the government, certainly, but not as harmful as it would have been to its efforts to promote a Big […]

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Matthew Bishop | The Economist: The World Gen Y Will Inherit

Matthew Bishop, The Economist New York Bureau Cheif, explains how massive socio-economic problems will be inevitable unless Gen Y acts right away in order to try and remedy this future situation.