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Giving Thought

Reinventing Social Change, with Nell Edgington

Mar 23, 2021 · 44 min · 26.6 MB
0:00-44:16

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In this episode we talk to Nell Edgington, President of non-profit consultancy Social Velocity, about her new book "Reinventing Social Change: Embrace Abundance to Create a Healthier and More Equitable World". We discuss:

  • What is the book about, who should read it and what should they do as a result?
  • Why does a scarcity mind-set affect so many donors and funders? Is this particular to philanthropy?
  • Why is the "overhead myth" so prevalent, and why is it so problematic?
  • Are there signs that funders are changing their behaviour during the current crisis? (Moving to unrestricted funding, trust-based grantmaking etc.) Is this likely to lead to longer-term changes?
  • What misconceptions are there about what makes for a sustainable non-profit, and why do these misunderstandings persist?
  • How many donors are willing to give away power as well as money? (And will the current crisis put even more focus on approaches such as participatory grantmaking?)
  • Do we need to redefine what counts as success and failure in philanthropy?
  • How should we rate philanthropy's response to the current crisis?
  • What is the core role of philanthropy within society which differentiates it from either state or market provision?
  • Why has the idea that non-profits need to be "more business-like" become so widespread? What is wrong with it?
  • Should we seek to measure impact better? What challenges might this bring in terms of distorting activity or creating power imbalances?
  • How can donors and funders use philanthropy to challenge or transform the very systems in which wealth has been created?

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