A new report from Halima Mahomed raises the issue that while legislation may help to incentivize Corporate Social Investment, the mere presence of regulation alone is not enough. “For CSI regulation to have an effect on impact it needs to be grounded in intensive consultation that caters to the needs and goals of the civil society sector it envisions supporting, as well as the motivations of the corporate sector it aims to influence.”
If the philanthropic sector is to adapt and thrive, it must invest in developing the sector’s people and talent. The Rockefeller Foundation, in partnership with the Council on Foundations, convened twenty foundation leaders from sixteen countries for a three-day symposium on “Talent Management for Innovative and Impactful Philanthropy in the 21st Century”. That conversation is reflected and broadened within the September 2014 edition of Alliance magazine. Chris Grygo reports.
The Rockefeller Foundation’s 100 Resilient Cities Challenge seeks cities that are ready to build resilience to the social, economic and physical challenges they face in an increasingly urbanized world. We asked the program’s communications director, Maxwell Young, to explain how local communities can lead this multi-year effort to build urban resilience worldwide, and how cities can use the initiative to think of themselves as part of a growing global network.
In joining the push for meaningful Sustainable Development Goals, foundations need to prepare for a long-term give-and-take approach. In her latest for Stanford Social Innovation Review, Heather Grady (Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors) points to challenges for collaboration on global development goals, adding that now is the time for interested parties to join the fold. “If you want to try new approaches to collaboration on the Sustainable Development Goals and put diffuse reciprocity in action by putting some skin in the game, get in touch as our circle widens.”
“Philanthropy can be the broker that brings disconnected parties and disparate entities together to create new bonds. Without the pressure of elections or markets, and by drawing on the insights and capacities of community foundations and global foundations, philanthropy has the potential to break down silos and connect local insights to global resources.” Rob Garris, Rockefeller Foundation
Lourdes Sanz-Moguel of CEMEFI reflects on WINGSForum 2014 and the importance of communicating the benefits of networking. “Understanding the network and its power is especially important for WINGS members that are membership associations, because it provides a set of insights they can pass down to their own membership, in order to continue the work and inspire new levels of commitment.”
Halima Mahomed (TrustAfrica, PSJP) presents her new report—Of Narratives, Networks and New Spaces: A Baseline Mapping of the African Philanthropy Infrastructure Sector. “Poor visibility of the sector and the limitations of existing frameworks in reflecting adequately its value, role and impact have been cited as important issues, as is the necessity of developing strong communications strategies to help profile and build awareness of the work.”
The latest in our web series, Road to Istanbul: A journey through networked philanthropy, considers the WINGS global network as a complex system of stars, and how we might use this metaphor to think about new collaborations.
Nelson Mandela stood for equality and justice and honor, and by example showed us the power of humility and forgiveness. We should honor him, now and always, by continuing his life’s work through increased empathy, collaboration and peacebuilding throughout the world.
The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were at the heart of discussions on 27 September, as various stakeholders met at the Ford Foundation in New York to discuss how philanthropies and their civil society partners can contribute to the future development agenda, to be renewed in 2015.
What makes for the success of a side event to the UN General Assembly, at a time when world leaders are discussing the contours of a new development framework and are expected to sign an “outcome document” on post-2015? What do we, as representatives of the philanthropic sector, want out of this important event: high level attendance? Stimulating discussions? A sense that key challenges are being unfolded and dissected to help us walk the talk? Surely, all of the above would be good. Yet, this time, my metrics for success will be linked to our ability to redefine the way we look at the Milky Way of development. Article by Bathylle Missika
On Friday 27 September in New York, WINGS will join the United Nations Development Programme, the Ford Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, OECD netFWD and the European Foundation Centre in a conversation on how civil society and foundations can influence the next global development agenda and spur coordinated action to advance new goals. See the agenda here.
The Rockefeller Foundation is honored to participate in the fourth annual Social Good Summit—a unique convening of world leaders, technology pioneers and grassroots innovators—to explore how today’s use of digital technology for social good can build a better future.
Marnie Webb is the CEO of Caravan Studios, a division of TechSoup Global whose driving force seems to lie somewhere between Social Good Summit and the Rockefeller Foundation’s 100 Resilient Cities initiative. We met with Webb to see how software apps can change the world, one community at a time.
In September, WINGS will join Global Development After 2015: The Role of Foundations and Civil Society—a conversation on how civil society and foundations can influence the next global development agenda and spur coordinated action to advance new goals. A portion of the event will be available via live stream.
Identifying emerging opportunities to address wicked problem spaces was the goal of a joint research effort between the Strategic Research team at The Rockefeller Foundation and Accenture Development Partnerships. The Foundation is inviting input from organisations who use scanning to locate intervention opportunities.
This month The Rockefeller Foundation opened registration for its 100 Resilient Cities Centennial Challenge. The foundation is encouraging city officials to register to apply to make their city more resilient.
After months of nominations, weeks of voting, and the participation and support of thousands of community members, the Rockefeller Foundation is pleased to announce the People’s Choice winner of the inaugural Next Century Innovators Awards, the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi).
The Rockefeller Foundation has been at the forefront of philanthropy since 1913 taking as its mantra, “to promote the well-being of mankind throughout the world”.
A Special Policy Dialogue hosted by the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) brought together a diverse group of stakeholders in the sector to brainstorm new ideas for advancing global development beyond the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 2015 target date. It was clear during the one-day meeting how much work is left to do to achieve these goals, yet a general sense of optimism characterised the exchange—this in the face of limited resources and a seemingly unsurmountable store of global data. Article by Chris de la Torre.
Philanthropy in Focus 