The changing shape of evaluation in philanthropy…

The Foundation Strategy Group just released a report culminating a year of  interviews with leaders in the field on evaluation in the nonprofit world.  The report, From Insight to Action, finds that foundations are undergoing a fundamental change in the way they use evaluation. “A shift in thinking has broadened from “What was the impact [...]

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Clinton reveals donors

Just this morning, former President Clinton released for the first time his complete donor list.  Over 200,000 donor names appear, all having given to his foundation since 1997.  The publication of the list is one piece of a nine-part agreement with President-Elect Obama to dispel any concerns of a conflict of interest if Senator Hillary [...]

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Madoff collapse continues to generate discussion

As the collapse of Madoff’s ponzi scheme sets in, more and more people are trying to make sense of it.  From irresponsibility, to greed, to shame and a host of other factors, there is someone out there talking about it.
Two interesting pieces appeared today analyzing the meltdown from insightful, but distinct perspectives.  An article in [...]

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Deadlock in Zimbabwe

Celia Dugger of the NY Times filed a story just moments ago reporting that one of Mugabe’s inner circle, Air Marshall Shiri, was shot in the hand on Saturday night during a night-time ambush.  Mugabe is calling it a failed assassination attempt, while the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) believes it is the result [...]

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Madoff scandal may open a space for New Philanthropists

On Thursday, Wall Street financier Bernard L. Madoff was arrested on charges of fraud totaling losses of $50 billion.   A former head of the Nasdaq stock market, Madoff was a prominent leader in the New York Jewish community and served as Chairmen of the School of Business at Yeshiva University. His fund, Bernard L. [...]

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Pam Omidyar: from Slavery to Surfing

The Chronicle of Philanthropy published a nice profile of Pam Omidyar yesterday. Pam, co-founder of the Omidyar Network, created Humanity United in 2005 as a foundation to end slavery and mass atrocities, based just down the road in Redwood City. Noticing the disconnect between activists, policy experts, and scholars on these issues, Pam chose to [...]

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New Energy Secretary, Council Conference Alum

Yesterday, President-Elect Obama announced his new energy and climate change team – the group that will be collectively responsible for achieving Obama’s stated goals for the environment, including huge reductions in global warming emissions and a dramatic restructuring of our national energy system. For his Energy Secretary, Obama named Steven Chu, the director of the [...]

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Secretary Paulson over Breakfast

The 74th Secretary of the Treasury, Henry Paulson has been on the front lines of the most significant global economic crisis in a generation. He joined the Council via webcast last week to offer remarks on US-Sino economic affairs.
The moderator, Mr. Timothy Dattels, is a Trustee of the World Affairs Council, and served as head [...]

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Madeleine Albright on Priorities for Obama’s Administration

Today, the Council on Foreign Relations hosted the first session of the Center for Preventative Action Symposium on preventative priorities for the next administration. Madeleine K. Albright, Principal, The Albright Group and former U.S. Secretary of State, moderated the event with CFR President Richard N. Haass. Interestingly, panels throughout the day did not [...]

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Bill Gates calls for Obama to Increase Spending

Philanthropist and billionaire Bill Gates spoke in Washington DC yesterday encouraging President-Elect Obama to increase spending. Even in the midst of this financial crisis, Gates urged us not to lose sight of our future and not to sacrifice our long-term goals for short-term gain. He encouraged Obama to follow through on his campaign [...]

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Council Speakers make NY Times Notable List

Today, the New York Times released its list of the top ten books of the year. The top two non-fiction works listed are The Dark Side by Jane Mayer, and The Forever War by Dexter Filkins – both authors that spoke here at the World Affairs Council in the past few months. [...]

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Asilomar Keynote named National Security Advisor

Yesterday in Chicago, President-Elect Obama introduced his national security team – the individuals that will lead us through the challenges posed by two complicated wars, rising nuclear threats, unrest in the Middle East, and persistent dependence on oil, among others.
For his National Security Advisor, Obama named General James L. Jones, a familiar face that spoke [...]

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