Do One Better with Alberto Lidji in Philanthropy, Sustainability and Social Entrepreneurship

Latest Episodes:

CEO of New Philanthropy Capital (NPC), Dan Corry, on the impact agenda Nov 28, 2022

Show notes

On this episode, Dan Corry sheds light on the work of New Philanthropy Capital (NPC) and we explore the impact agenda from a range of angles, including:

(1) How does the impact agenda relate to trust-based philanthropy?

(2) Is impact measurement is too top-down?

(3) Are randomised control trials (RCTs) preferable to quicker, more iterative alternatives?

(4) Is there enough risk-taking in philanthropy and what can policymakers do to incentivise it?

Thank you for downloading this episode of the Do One Better Podcast. Visit our Knowledge Hub at Lidji.org for information on nearly 200 case studies and interviews with remarkable leaders in philanthropy, sustainability and social entrepreneurship.

CEO of Asthma + Lung UK, Sarah Woolnough, on managing a large-scale merger Nov 21, 2022

Show notes

We explore the merger between Asthma UK and the British Lung Foundation, which resulted in the creation of Asthma + Lung UK.

We look at the pros and cons, the opportunities and the headaches that Sarah Woolnough has been coping with and driving forward as CEO of Asthma + Lung UK.

Sarah provides a truly candid view and this episode is particularly useful for anyone contemplating, managing or wishing to learn about mergers within the non-profit space.

From branding and governance to CRM systems and auditing, you’ll find this interview informative and full of actionable suggestions.

CEO of Thrive at Five, Aida Cable, on driving forward early childhood development in the UK Nov 14, 2022

Show notes

Thrive at Five supports parents and communities through collective action across the public, private and voluntary sectors, so every child reaches a good level of development at age five.

Aida Cable brings a wealth of experience in the early childhood development space. Prior to joining Thrive at Five she worked at The Royal Foundation of the then Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and now Prince and Princess of Wales.

We explore the state of affairs in early childhood development in the UK and how Thrive at Five is convening and mobilising diverse stakeholders to drive forward this field. Aida shares key statistics and explains why now more than ever we need to focus on children’s early years.

Thank you for downloading this episode of the Do One Better Podcast. Visit our website at Lidji.org for information on nearly 200 case studies and interviews with remarkable leaders in philanthropy, sustainability and social entrepreneurship. Please leave us a rating and a review to help others find this show.

CEO of Charity Navigator, Michael Thatcher, on evaluating and rating thousands of charities Nov 07, 2022

Show notes

Charity Navigator is an organisation that evaluates charities and provides in-depth, objective ratings and analysis of the financial health, accountability and transparency of 200,000 charities. They also facilitate the giving process.

Charity Navigator is a household name for many leaders in the philanthropy and non-profit space.

They have just launched a new website and new functionalities. Michael Thatcher provides excellent insight on how they work and how their rating and analysis can help you improve the world and ensure donor funding goes to higher-performing organisations.

Charity Navigator aims to democratise philanthropy and make it easier for anyone to give irrespective of their means.

Thank you for downloading this episode of the Do One Better Podcast. Visit our website at Lidji.org for information on nearly 200 interviews and case studies with remarkable leaders in philanthropy, sustainability and social entrepreneurship. Please leave us a rating and a review to help others find this show.

CEO of the British Asian Trust, Richard Hawkes, on impact investing, development impact bonds, risk-taking and more Oct 31, 2022

Show notes

The British Asian Trust was founded in 2007 by His Majesty King Charles III and a group of British Asian business leaders, to tackle widespread poverty, inequality and injustice in South Asia.

Richard Hawkes sheds light on the work of the British Asian Trust, especially around development impact bonds across a range of thematic areas including skills and employability, and girls’ education in South Asia.

The British Asian Trust is entrepreneurial and happy to embrace sensible risk-taking in the international development space. We learn about how they’ve innovated and how they’ve embraced impact investing to help drive forward the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

The British Asian Trust focuses on five thematic areas: education, livelihoods/jobs, mental health, child protection and conservation.

Thank you for downloading this episode of The Do One Better Podcast. Visit our website at Lidji.org for information on nearly 200 interviews with remarkable leaders in philanthropy, sustainability and social entrepreneurship. Please leave us a rating and a review to help others find this show.

Ewan Kirk, Co-Founder of the Turner Kirk Trust and former Partner at Goldman Sachs, on philanthropy and risk-taking Oct 24, 2022

Show notes

Ewan is a philanthropist with a head for numbers and we look at the interaction between philanthropy and risk. The question: Is the world of philanthropy too risk averse?

Ewan is the Chairman of the Management Committee of the Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences, Chairman of DeepTech Labs, and a Non-executive Director of BAE Systems.

He argues that philanthropic capital should have the highest risk tolerance. It's important to encourage grantees to take risks, to let them know it’s ok to experiment and to give them permission to fail.

We look at a specific case study and encourage others to consider how they embrace risk in their philanthropy.

Mustafa Kudrati, President and CEO of Plan International USA, on the state of the world’s girls and supporting girl-led organisations. Celebrating International Day of the Girl Child 2022! Oct 17, 2022

Show notes

The State of the World’s Girls 2022 Report has just been launched by Plan International and Mustafa Kudrati sheds light on its key findings.

The report is focused on girls’ and young women’s political participation, based on a survey of close to 29,000 girls and young women ages 15-24 from 29 countries. How girls perceive their ability to participate in the political process might surprise you.

Mustafa also introduces Plan International’s initiatives in Guatemala and Brazil; going beyond grant-making by supporting girl-led organisations on the ground, elevating local voices and co-designing.

We learn about Plan International’s “We are the Girls” campaign and also delve into the relevance of women’s economic empowerment in influencing girls' expected life outcomes.

This episode is for anyone who is interested in tackling gender inequality and learning about the latest thinking in this field.

World Sight Day Special! CEO of VisionSpring, Ella Gudwin, announces a $15M gift from MacKenzie Scott and talks about their work helping people in low-income countries access eye glasses Oct 13, 2022

Show notes

MacKenzie Scott’s donation to VisionSpring is the largest single private donation helping to tackle the challenge of uncorrected blurry vision in the developing world.

We look at VisionSpring's work and learn about the low levels of access to corrective eye glasses in the developing world and low-income segments.

Ella Gudwin remarks: the market for eye glasses is broken. It’s a 700-year-old technology; it has failed to disperse to the low income segment.

Uncorrected blurry vision isn’t simply a health issue; it’s also an economic issue. Much of VisionSpring’s advocacy has been focused on raising awareness and quantifying the economic cost to national governments derived from workers who are unable to perform to full capacity due to their inability to see clearly. This is a problem that impacts farmers, commercial truck drivers, artisans and many others.

We learn the key stats underpinning the arguments for supporting this thematic area and hear of the alliance of diverse stakeholder organisations that have come together to advocate with one voice to ensure the United Nations and national governments across the globe address and tackle this problem.

CEO of Action Against Hunger UK, Jean-Michel Grand, on tackling acute malnutrition on a global scale Oct 10, 2022

Show notes

Action Against Hunger is active in 51 countries, they have 8,000 staff and assist around 26 million people annually; their turnover is around half a billion euros.

In the UK, they are part of the DEC (Disasters Emergency Committee), which brings together 15 leading UK aid charities to raise funds quickly and efficiently at times of crisis overseas.

They are focused on prediction, prevention and treatment of severe malnutrition — especially within a Global South / developing world context.

Encouragingly, there is a treatment for acute malnutrition called “Ready to Use Therapeutic Food” (RUTF) — a treatment that has evolved considerably during the past 20 years — no longer requiring clinical settings nor refrigeration — and today can cure most severely malnourished children around the world.

However, the challenging logistics of reaching remote geographic locations and engaging within armed conflict areas present serious problems.

These problems are exacerbated by the fact many national governments intentionally conceal problems of malnutrition within their populations in order to project a more favourable image to the external world; and by the overall funding gap that must be filled in order to transform the current reality and achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

We also learn of Action Against Hunger’s work in supporting and empowering local communities by providing them with the tools to conduct self-diagnosis. The “Mid-Upper Arm Circumference” band (MUAC), is one example of this — a simple colour-coded measuring tape that can be used by parents and caretakers (including those who aren’t able to read) to determine whether a child is malnourished and, if so, to what degree.

Dr Asyia Kazmi OBE, Gates Foundation’s Global Education Policy Lead: the challenges we face in education are a solvable problem! Oct 03, 2022

Show notes

We hear from the Gates Foundation’s Dr Asyia Kazmi on what the state of global education looks like, the work they’re doing in tackling literacy and numeracy challenges, and why achieving our education targets for Sustainable Development Goal 4 is a solvable problem.

If you are born in a high-income country, 9 out of 10 children can read by the age of 10. If you are born in a low-income country, 9 out of 10 children cannot. This is a shocking statistic and an equity issue.

Learn about the Gates Foundations’ work with global organisations, such as the World Bank and UNICEF, how they interact with national governments, what philanthropists should keep in mind when aiming to fund education and much more.

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