Tag: Big Society

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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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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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The Rich Versus The Rest?

‘Toward a New Social Contract’ is the theme of this year’s Global Philanthropy Forum, currently taking place in Washington, DC. But the real hand-to-hand fighting on the role that philanthropy plays in the rich’s responsibilities to society is being played out in Britain, where a government initiative to cut the tax subsidy to giving has […]

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At Last! The Overdue Birth of Big Society Capital

Britain’s Prime Minister has cause for a small (nice cup of tea, rather than pop the champagne cork) celebration today, now that his Big Society idea has had its first positive headlines in quite some time, with the long-awaited launch of the £600 million Big Society Capital (BSC) social investment fund. BSC has cost the […]

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Did It Work?

‘The Year of Fighting Over What Works’ was our headline prediction for 2011. So how did we do? Let’s take a look at the 10 scenarios we saw when we peered into our philanthrocrystal ball back in January. 1) “A battle is going to rage over the relationship between profit and philanthropy.” And some. Within […]

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A Big Legacy?

A gaggle of notables from the arts philanthropy world (and Tracey Emin) gathered at London’s Tate Gallery last night to mark the launch of a new campaign, Legacy10, to get Brits to give more. The campaign, set up by “the most influential PR man in the country” Roland Rudd, wants to get people to take advantage […]

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The Secret (Big) Society

Whatever happened to the Big Society? Once British Prime Minister David Cameron’s flagship idea, it has been so conspicuous by its absence in recent weeks that Third Sector magazine argued last week that it was time to say ‘bye-bye’ to the idea. Such a judgement by the official organ of the UK charity sector, which yearns […]

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The Spring of Generosity

“People say we are overstating the importance of technology in giving. I say, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet.” British charity tech guru Steve Bridger was in bullish form this Thursday morning, September 29th, at the Gulbenkian Foundation in London’s trendy Hoxton Square, just around the corner from the British tech hub known as ‘silicon roundabout’. […]

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More A Whisper Than A Scream

When a group of British donors and charity chiefs announced at the end of last year their own independent review of how to make Brits give more to charity, we were excited at the possibility that the philanthropy community would come up with new ideas to promote giving. Indeed, since David Cameron’s government was engaged in […]

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Whose Tax Is It Anyway?

In the United States, the giving sector is up in arms about a proposal in President Obama’s budget bill to cut back the tax exemption for wealthy donors. In the United Kingdom, donors are complaining that the government’s desire to boost giving under its Big Society programme is not being backed up with new tax incentives. On both sides of […]