Say yes to strategic philanthropy
The India Country Office's director of Bill and Melinda Gates
Foundation writes on why philanthropy should be strategic, and the
cause is dearest to his heart.
Bill Gates and Warren Buffett will be in India together shortly to persuade the wealthy to donate to philanthropic causes. Ashok Alexander, Director, India Country Office, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, writes on why philanthropy should be strategic, and the cause dearest to his heart.
Can philanthropy be strategic? It not only can; for donors who want to ensure the very best use of their money, it must be. To be strategic, philanthropy should have a clear focus and be efficiently administered to maximise impact. Strategic philanthropy usually involves partnerships that ensure sustainability, and that recognise the catalytic role donors can play in addressing important issues and furthering complicated work. Smart philanthropy does not seek perpetual funding opportunities. Rather, it looks for skilled partners on the ground, with deep knowledge and experience, and then seeks to step in with support to fill gaps that might otherwise go unaddressed.
Ultimately, smart philanthropists seek a return on their investments. The return they seek is not monetary, of course. Rather, they seek progress in over-coming challenges that others might see as intractable. They seek to spark progress in fields that others might view as stagnant. They learn from these investments, share that learning with the field, and continue to look for opportunities to fund progress.
This approach has brought about great progress in several important areas around the world. In global health, we have seen important progress in the fight against HIV/AIDS, for example. And we stand on the brink of eliminating the scourge of polio from the world, because of smart philanthropic investments and strong partnerships with a broad range of organisations and governments.
The list of worthy causes for strategic philanthropists to support is long, and includes the environment, wildlife, clean water, climate change and education. There is no hierarchy of causes and there are many opportunities to give and achieve lasting positive impact. Choosing which causes to support, however, is another key component of smart strategic philanthropy. On this point, I have a clear bias. To me, there is no greater cause than saving the lives of almost two million children who die in our country before the age of five. For philanthropists looking for a noble cause to support, let me make the case.
Consider the facts. About a million children die in the first month after birth. Almost another million die from the second month of life to the age of five. Even if a poor child in India survives into her sixth year, she could well be malnourished, as are 45 per cent of Indian children.
The tragedy - and the opportunity for philanthropy - is that most of these deaths are preventable, with a strategy that goes "from minus nine to sixty months" - from the time a woman conceives to the point when her child is five years. The pregnant mother must have access to good nutrition, three antenatal check-ups, and an institutional delivery. The newborn must essentially receive exclusive breastfeeding.
Beyond that the child must receive good nutrition, and a full suite of vaccinations. India's national programme delivers a very rudimentary set of vaccines. Vital life saving vaccines that exist elsewhere and that can prevent hundreds of thousands of deaths from meningitis, diarrhoea and pneumonia are not included in the national programme. They are held up by well meaning, but misguided activism, and a lack of attention to some of the problems that affect the poorest among us.
The solutions to this huge problem of child deaths are simple and well known. What is required is a strategy to scale up known solutions and a game plan for sustainability.
Enter philanthropy. Let the stream of new philanthropy in India give way to a tidal wave! Smart and strategic giving can help take us from minus nine to sixty, and well beyond.
(Ashok Alexander is a director at India Country Office of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation)
From left: Warren Buffett, Melinda and Bill Gates
Ultimately, smart philanthropists seek a return on their investments. The return they seek is not monetary, of course. Rather, they seek progress in over-coming challenges that others might see as intractable. They seek to spark progress in fields that others might view as stagnant. They learn from these investments, share that learning with the field, and continue to look for opportunities to fund progress.
Alexander's take
|
The list of worthy causes for strategic philanthropists to support is long, and includes the environment, wildlife, clean water, climate change and education. There is no hierarchy of causes and there are many opportunities to give and achieve lasting positive impact. Choosing which causes to support, however, is another key component of smart strategic philanthropy. On this point, I have a clear bias. To me, there is no greater cause than saving the lives of almost two million children who die in our country before the age of five. For philanthropists looking for a noble cause to support, let me make the case.
Consider the facts. About a million children die in the first month after birth. Almost another million die from the second month of life to the age of five. Even if a poor child in India survives into her sixth year, she could well be malnourished, as are 45 per cent of Indian children.
The tragedy - and the opportunity for philanthropy - is that most of these deaths are preventable, with a strategy that goes "from minus nine to sixty months" - from the time a woman conceives to the point when her child is five years. The pregnant mother must have access to good nutrition, three antenatal check-ups, and an institutional delivery. The newborn must essentially receive exclusive breastfeeding.
Beyond that the child must receive good nutrition, and a full suite of vaccinations. India's national programme delivers a very rudimentary set of vaccines. Vital life saving vaccines that exist elsewhere and that can prevent hundreds of thousands of deaths from meningitis, diarrhoea and pneumonia are not included in the national programme. They are held up by well meaning, but misguided activism, and a lack of attention to some of the problems that affect the poorest among us.
The solutions to this huge problem of child deaths are simple and well known. What is required is a strategy to scale up known solutions and a game plan for sustainability.
Enter philanthropy. Let the stream of new philanthropy in India give way to a tidal wave! Smart and strategic giving can help take us from minus nine to sixty, and well beyond.
(Ashok Alexander is a director at India Country Office of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation)
