There’s lots of good that philanthropy does in our world, but there’s also so much more that is possible. For starters, I would love to see philanthropy become more plentiful, enabling, transparent and equitable, and here’s why: Plentiful: What more could be achieved if all of us gave a little extra so that through our…
Continue reading →Where does philanthropy end and dirty self-promotion begin? This was the question posed at the recent and fabulous Auckland Writer’s Festival to British philosopher Julian Baggini, economist and philanthropist Gareth Morgan and me by Radio NZ presenter Wallace Chapman. Here’s how we answered this question – plus a few other key points: Philanthropy ends when…
Continue reading →Who benefits most from Aotearoa New Zealand’s founding document, the Treaty of Waitangi? It is those of us who are non-Māori, because it is through the Treaty that we have the right to be in this land. Furthermore, the treaty is an integral part of our collective identity. Earlier this year I was privileged to…
Continue reading →If you are part of a community organisation which seeks funding, how would you describe your relationships with funders? I am just back from the fabulous and thought-provoking Grantmakers for Effective Organisations biennial conference in Minneapolis. In the first of several blog posts, here’s my interpretation of an analysis of funder – grantee relationships by…
Continue reading →I recently gave a presentation in Christchurch New Zealand with Iain Hines from J R McKenzie Trust to “Seed” – the bi-annual conference of the Combined Community Trusts. Here are the key points, and the presentation is below. As funders, we need our processes for finding, selecting and reporting on funding to be in the…
Continue reading →Here are two useful rules of thumb for philanthropy: First do no harm Err on the side of generosity These are neither new nor radical, but they are important and complementary considerations – and are sometimes neglected. The “first do no harm” principle is so obvious it is generally taken as read, but I think…
Continue reading →With a 12 year old son at home, seeing “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” was not optional. And yes, I admit it, despite the paper-thin, deja vu plot I did kind of enjoy it – especially sassy Rey and very human Finn. Oh but the messaging. Need a miracle? Try violence. Because while violence is…
Continue reading →It’s a good time of year for looking back and reflecting… Earlier this year I stepped down from my Executive Director role at Todd Foundation to become an independent consultant. Here is an article I wrote recently about the lessons learned in my 10 years with Todd Foundation. (This was originally published in the December…
Continue reading →New research into financial giving in Aotearoa NZ, undertaken by Berl and commissioned by Philanthropy NZ, was released last week. You can listen to me discussing the results of the Giving New Zealand survey – and philanthropy more generally – with Ros Rice on the Collaborative Voices radio programme here: Alternatively, here is a short summary:…
Continue reading →How many of us have a good knowledge of our history here in Aoteraoa New Zealand? November 2015 commemorated 150 years since the siege of a Maori village called Waerenga-a-Hika near Gisborne on the East Coast of New Zealand’s North Island. In the six-day siege, 71 Māori villagers and 20 colonial soldiers were killed. Its…
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