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Learning is an Afterthought at Most Donor-Funded Programs: Here’s How to Make it a Priority
Despite the millions of dollars funders spend on it each year, learning remains a low priority within donor-funded programs. Why? According to Anne Maftei at the Mastercard Foundation Rural & Agricultural Finance Learning Lab, it's because these programs are built for implementation rather than knowledge creation. But while this is understandable, it's not ideal – Maftei explores ways funders can make learning less onerous and more useful for their partner organizations.
- Categories
- Impact Assessment
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The World’s First 3D-Printed Neighborhood Is Being Built in Mexico for Families Living on $3 a Day
New Story is a nonprofit that helps families in need of shelter. It has built more than 2,700 homes in South America and Mexico since it was founded in 2014. This is the first homebuilding project it's done with 3D printing.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- Latin America
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What will Mark Suzman bring to new role as CEO of Gates Foundation?
In an email to staff, Desmond-Hellmann explained that she and Bill and Melinda Gates have spent recent months discussing the best person to replace her to lead the world’s largest private foundation. They selected 12-year foundation veteran Suzman, president of global policy and advocacy and CSO at the foundation, who will assume the role on Feb.1, 2020.
- Region
- North America
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Creating Jobs While Fighting Poverty: An Innovative Social Micro-Franchise Model Gains Traction in Haiti
All too many global development efforts fail to appreciate the value of a steady paycheck – or the role of small businesses as job creators in poor communities, says Marc Blumenthal at Social Ventures Foundation (SVF). This has stagnated poverty reduction campaigns, leaving vulnerable populations in need after government and NGO funds dry up. He shares SVF's efforts to reverse this dynamic, through social micro-franchise business models that address poverty-related issues, while also creating sustainable jobs in low-income communities.
- Categories
- Entrepreneurship, Investing
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For Non-Profits Working With Facebook, Libra Isn’t Such a Crazy Idea
Were these do-gooding organizations brought on as mere window-dressing? Women’s World Banking and Mercy Corps tell CoinDesk they won’t stick around if their missions aren’t served by Libra.
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UNICEF Now Accepting Donations Through Bitcoin and Ether
This system of decentralisation offers non-profit organisations the advantage of bypassing expensive fees and middlemen traditionally required to move large amounts of cash overseas quickly. But the virtual currencies have also been divisive.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
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The Development Tool Nobody’s Using: Why it’s Time for the Women’s Empowerment Sector to Leverage Media and Advertising
In women’s economic empowerment circles, there’s no shortage of initiatives involving corporate partnerships with NGOs - often focused on agriculture or garment supply chains. But as Mara Bolis at Oxfam points out, this focus has led the sector to overlook other potential areas of impact – including media and advertising. Sharing some compelling examples, she argues that media could have as much – or even more – influence in shaping women’s economic opportunities as changes to global value chains.
- Categories
- Technology
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5 Ways Nonprofits Can Learn (and Copy) from For-Profits to Scale Up
Tough problems in tough places – that’s business as usual for many global nonprofits. As they navigate the challenges of high regulatory risk and ever-changing donor interest, nonprofits typically grow by acquiring more projects – based on how well they delivered previous projects. But businesses mostly fund their growth by reinvesting profits, or by raising external equity or debt. While these two systems are very different, there’s much nonprofits can learn from for-profit businesses as they reach for scale, writes Dhananjay Vaidyanathan Rohini at Alstonia Impact.
- Categories
- Entrepreneurship
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