Hurst on SSIR: Surdna CEO on Philanthropic Isolation
I recently interviewed my colleague Phillip Henderson for the Stanford Social Innovation Review about the challenges he faces as the president of the Surdna Foundation, a $755 million charitable family foundation known for its innovative work. Prior to his appointment at Surdna, Henderson was vice president at the German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF), a trans-Atlantic public policy...
Read MoreWhat China Can Learn from Taproot
Pro bono in China is being implemented by the Beijing Huizeren Volunteering Development Center. Since Feb. 28, a team of Chinese philanthropic leaders--Robin, founder of Huizeren; Xinfu, project manager; and Charles from Narada Foundation --visited and toured Taproot Foundation to gain greater insight into this nascent marketplace. Here are their final thoughts on the lessons they learned during their visit....
Read MorePro Bono Worldwide
One of the joys of being part of a pro bono movement is discovering the ever-expanding ripple effect of your work as it spreads in ways you never even imagined. At Taproot, we focus our efforts in five core cities--Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C.--but in 2010, we've discovered kindred pro bono spirits in locations...
Read MoreBetween the Rock and an Egg: Social Investment in China
I just got back from the International Advisory Board meeting of CiYUAN, a three-year initiative to increase social investment in China. It was my first time to visit the country and certainly my first introduction to the nation's nonprofit sector. To be honest, I didn't even know there was a nonprofit sector in China. What is the role of a...
Read MorePro Bono Takes Tokyo
Last week I heard from our friend, Ikuma Saga, in Tokyo who has been making strides to kick off a Service Grant Program in Japan since 2005. They've completed 17 projects and currently have 6 underway. 190 pro bono consultants have offered to contribute their time to do pro bono for nonprofits. Service Grant Tokyo recently held a launch party...
Read MoreNonprofits’ Role in Climate Change
Several years ago, a member of our management team suggested that we become carbon neutral and buy offsets to cover our travel. He had looked into it and estimated the cost between $20-40k per year. My response was that our mission is not to resolve climate change, and we can't invest in areas that don't directly impact our mission. This...
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