Building great governance in a family philanthropy is an important but under-researched area. What does a good family foundation board look like? What is the best way to find and select great trustees? And how do we get the best from trustees? My just-released report attempts to answer these questions. I was commissioned to write …
Continue reading →Here’s an exciting new possibility for funders in Aotearoa NZ – we can now be assessed and accredited on how transparent and accountable we are by the US-based Glass Pockets initiative. And, having just been through this with our small philanthropic trust Te Muka Rau, I can attest that the process is useful, easy –…
Continue reading →Weird story number 1: Last week I was in Los Angeles visiting family. Walking back from the beach there was a strong smell of burning plastic – on the steps of the overbridge was a young couple, apparently homeless, trying to barbecue pig trotters inside a plastic-coated supermarket trolley. I considered pointing out the carcinogenic…
Continue reading →I recently led a conversation about strategic grantmaking for Philanthropy New Zealand’s excellent professional development programme, Great Grantmaking. The session covered what strategic grantmaking means, why it isn’t necessarily easy and the pros and cons of some of the tools and approaches often used for strategic grantmaking. Here is a summary of key points, and…
Continue reading →The following was first published here as an opinion piece in the Dominion Post 11 May 2018 I have been thinking about harmony – in music and in our land. When I sing a line of notes I create a tune – hopefully a nice enough thing. But when we add other voices, instrumental…
Continue reading →Here is the second of two podcasts on generosity where Scott Miller from Volunteering NZ and I are interviewed by the wonderful David Binstead from Twice Podcast. (You might also be interested in the first episode.) Some of the concepts and questions explored include: How to attract great volunteers and ensure that they have a…
Continue reading →What does it mean to live a generous life? And how do we articulate and measure the different ways in which to be generous? 1234Plus is my suggested model for considering generosity, and consists of: 1+ good deeds each day 2+ sustainability actions each week 3+ hours of volunteering each month 4+ percent of…
Continue reading →Here is the first of two podcasts on generosity where Scott Miller from Volunteering NZ and I are interviewed by the wonderful David Binstead from Twice Podcast. Some of the concepts and questions explored include: Generosity includes giving time, giving money and acting with kindness The total number of hours volunteering hours in Aotearoa NZ…
Continue reading →Transparency in philanthropy is important, and this blog presents a useful tool for those of us working in funding organisations to answer two questions: How transparent are we? Is this level of transparency appropriate for an organisation of our type and size? But first, a bit about what transparency in philanthropy means in practice and…
Continue reading →October 2017 was not a good month for me. First I dislocated my ankle and broke the surrounding bones in three places. Then the subsequent ankle surgery had major complications, and I ended up in the Intensive Care Unit on a respirator following seizures and fluid on the lungs and brain. Now, thank goodness, I…
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