Manna from Omaha: a year of ‘giving while living’ transforms philanthropy
December 2006 – Financial Times
Philanthropy is a changin' — the tell-tale sign: high-profile gifts, from Warren Buffet, Hank Greenburg, and Li Ka-shing to name a few. This trend towards ‘giving while living’ is led by the financial sector’s wealthy, with support from New Philanthropy Capital and others. ‘We are increasingly seeing a donor base which is typically first-generation wealth creators in financial services, not necessarily from a rich background, who are self-made and relatively young,’ says NPC’s Chief Executive, Nigel Harris.
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UK charitable donors fall but rise in generosity
December 2006 – Financial Times
Although the number of British donors is falling, those who do give are getting more generous, according to the Charities Aid Foundation. Charities hope that wealthy donors in the UK will follow Warren Buffet’s lead, after his recent donation to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Early signs are positive. Nigel Harris, chief executive of New Philanthropy Capital says: ‘There is a generation of wealthy givers coming through who take giving seriously.’
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Speaking from experience
December 2006 - The Glasgow Herald
'I am the non-singing and non-instrumental member of a musical family ... But I can enjoy music and it's not just for high-brows. It has the capacity to help, even transform, the lives of disadvantaged people. This is vividly shown in a publication by New Philanthropy Capital, Striking a Chord', writes Bob Holman.
Bright young thing
December 2006 - Brummell
NPC’s Emilie Goodall, is one of the 100 rising stars featured in Brummell, a magazine published by Financial News.
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Charity costs under the spotlight as BBC muscles in on donations
November 2006 - The Observer
Tris Lumley, research analyst at New Philanthropy Capital, highlights the importance of looking at results. He recommends 'instead of concentrating on the input of certain charities, such as costs, donors should start by looking at its outputs (what the charity does) and better still at what it achieves. Only then can they put this in spending context'.
The article also lists some of the 100 charities NPC recommends including: Cancer Research UK, Mind and The Children's Society.
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How to give it all away
August 2006 – Euromoney
'By providing detailed analysis of charities to donors, New Philanthropy Capital hopes to help them direct their money where it will be best used,' writes Lawrence White. 'We want money to be better allocated,' says Martin Brookes … 'and then hopefully the realization that this is happening will encourage more people to give.'
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New-money generation aims to make a difference to giving
August 2006 – FT Weekend
'Americans have always done philanthropy differently, as Warren Buffett's recent decision to add his $37bn to the $35bn assets already in the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation served to emphasise … British philanthropy is also flourishing. A new generation of wealthy entrepreneurs is stepping forward; and like their American counterparts, they want to make a difference with their giving,' writes John Willman.
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Buried treasure
July 2006 - SocietyGuardian
The government is looking to set up a social investment bank to distribute unclaimed assets amounting to at least £1bn that are held by UK banks. NPC's Martin Brookes was one of the experts asked to comment on the proposal: 'On a practical level, it creates a new and, hopefully, straightforward source of funding [for charities]. This is welcome, as funding is often short term, insecure and expensive to access. On a more profound level, this could shake up how charities operate. It will get them thinking in a more businesslike way ...'
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Talking Point: Facing up to the philanthropic challenge
July 2006 - Financial News
'Giving money away effectively can be a lot more difficult than making it, as many of the world’s great philanthropists have discovered. Warren Buffett’s solution is to hand over his money to someone else to do the giving — in his case the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. But anyone donating money faces the same challenge as Buffett. How to ensure it is put to good use?
No self-respecting investor would make a financial investment without first looking at the potential returns and weighing them against the options. Most would also take advice from an expert. However, when it comes to making donations to charity, donors often disengage their brains ... ' by Nigel Harris, NPC's Chief Executive.
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Giving away billions is a hard business
July 2006 - The Sunday Times
'Donors are "becoming more and more concerned with the effectiveness of the charities they support, how the money is used and what difference the charities actually make on the lives of people they work with", said Nigel Harris, NPC chief executive ...'
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See also NPC news article: Buffett, Gates and Weill: Give it up for charity
Tough love approach pays off at the grassroots
July 2006 - Financial Times
'Warren Buffett's $3.7bn (£20bn) gift to his friend Bill Gates' charitable foundation last week was a landmark donation, bringing the old-fashioned world of philanthropy bang up to date... New Philanthropy Capital (NPC) is a charity that taps into donors' demands for more analysis and information. It researches charities and their efficiency and matches good causes with interested corporates, trusts and wealthy individuals. There's a useful list of charities considered highly effective on the NPC website ...'
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See also NPC news article: Buffett, Gates and Weill: Give it up for charity
Asylum claim disbelief 'costs millions'
June 2006 - Financial Times
'A "culture of disbelief" of asylum seekers claims at the Home Office and a reluctance to accept foreign qualifications is costing taxpayers millions ...'
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Second thoughts: Step by step
May 2006 - The Guardian
'Let's imagine you have some spare money you'd like to give to charity. Perhaps you are interested in mental health. So what's the best place to invest your money? Here's a proposition: go for lunch at Abbevilles restaurant in Clapham, south London, where you can help people improve their mental health, cut your tax bill, and have a curry all at the same time,' says Martin Brookes, NPC's Head of Research, writing in The Guardian.
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Making the money count
May 2006 – The Times
‘Charity donors are increasingly regarding their giving as they would a stock market investment,’ says Alexandra Frean, writing in The Times. ‘Knowing which charities to invest in, though, is less easy than picking shares ... The Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) thinks it has cracked this problem with the launch of two themed charity funds, which invest in a portfolio of voluntary sector organisations ... It has handed over responsibility for researching the beneficiaries to New Philanthropy Capital.’
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Report on young people in education made basis for calculations clear
April 2006 - Financial Times
Martin Brookes, NPC’s Head of Research, responds to Lord Adonis’ letter to the Financial Times (Thursday, April 7). In his letter, Lord Adonis, Schools Minister, argues ‘New Philanthropy Capital is wrong to claim an £8m difference between the cost of an academy and the average cost of other new secondary schools ... It is absurd to compare (as you did in your report) the average cost of a 1,300-pupil academy, built in high-cost, inner-city areas, with the £15m, historic average price tag for a 900-pupil secondary school ...' NPC’s response was printed in the Financial Times, 1 May.
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BBC Radio 4: Today programme
April 2006
Martin Brookes, NPC's head of research, was interviewed about the findings of On your marks, our report on young people in education. Brookes said that city academies are a risky, expensive and unproven investment for donors. He directed donors instead to the many charities working in the same deprived areas as academies, and with excellent track records.
Brookes was asked whether the related 'cash for honours' row would deter giving in education. 'It would be a pity if we poured scorn and derision on the people who are genuinely trying to improve the educational outcomes for children in disadvantaged areas. I want to encourage more such giving, rather than less such giving,' he said.
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Radio Five Live: Midday News
April 2006
NPC's Martin Brookes and schools minister, Lord Andrew Adonis, were interviewed about city academies and philanthropy in education.
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BBC Coventry
April 2006
John Copps, author of On your marks, was interviewed on the morning news programme of the local BBC radio station in Warwickshire.
bbc.co.uk: Academies 'risky way to give £2m'
April 2006
'Academies are a risky investment: they can and do fail,' said a report from New Philanthropy Capital.
The charity, which advises donors on effective giving, suggested instead helping victims of bullying or children with special educational needs ...
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Blair defends 'academy cash honours'
April 2006 - Daily Telegraph
'Tony Blair defended giving honours to wealthy businessmen who invested in schools yesterday as a report urged sponsors to avoid his "high risk" and unproven academy programme ...'
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Charity deals further blow to city academies
April 2006 - Financial Times
'Donors who give up to £2m to city academies might not be getting value for money from their "high risk investment", a report published today warned ...
The report from New Philanthropy Capital, a charity that advises wealthy donors on which causes make best use of their money, raised questions about the effectiveness of recreating failing schools as academies ...
Donors might be better off giving to other education charities, such as those that tackle bullying or offer after-school activities, it said ...'
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Flagship academies are risky venture, donors warned
April 2006 - The Guardian
'The government's controversial academy programme is a risky investment for potential donors with little evidence that the independent state schools improve educational standards, according to a report published today.
The study, by New Philanthropy Capital warns ...'
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Ensuring efficiency
March 2006 - Charity Times
Martin Brookes and John Copps argue that the new Compact Commissioner must focus on efficiency in order to protect the public.
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Martin Brookes talks to the BBC about donors’ demands
March 2006 - BBC World Service
Are big donors are becoming more demanding? BBC World Service interviewed Martin Brookes, NPC’s Head of Research, about this and other trends in philanthropy. Brookes notes ‘a cadre of donors bringing money and the disciplines of business, to reward success, punish failure and encourage charities to do well.' He points them to ‘real nuggets; organisations doing great work’ that are becoming better at articulating their effectiveness. ‘You can articulate and measure what charities do, and if you do so, it puts you in a much better position to decide whether or not to support a charity,’ says Brookes.
The Next Big Thing: Philanthrocapitalism
March 2006 - The Times
David Rowan writing in The Times points to a ‘remarkable trend sweeping through the world of charitable giving’ led by ‘a new generation of philanthropists ... taking a market conscious approach to charitable giving.'
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Gavyn Davies does the maths
March 2006 - The Guardian
‘Charity is an investment like any other,’ says Gavyn Davies, one of NPC's founding trustees. Writing in The Guardian, Davies notes ‘many people have an aversion to thinking about a charitable donation as an “investment” that needs to have a high return … In fact, simply by suggesting this, I may be raising hackles.’
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A survey of wealth and philanthropy
February 2006 - The Economist
The Economist published a 16-page survey highlighting the increase in philanthropy as the number of super-rich keeps growing and how these new donors are becoming more businesslike in their giving. The survey also points to the new organisations (including NPC) being created to make a philanthropic market work better and provides an overview of corporate giving.
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