Following Gates through Windows (of Philanthropy)
Unless you’ve been trapped in a bubble these last two weeks, or enthralled with iPhone news (guilty), you may have heard that Microsoft founder and billionaire Bill Gates recently retired from the software company he started. While he still remains the largest shareholder, the motivation to retire he says, is to dedicate all his time to the foundation he and his wife founded, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. While Mr. Gates is already an experienced philanthropist, many others who aren't in his income bracket - or that of his philanthropic partner, Chairman/CEO of Berkshire Hathaway Warren Buffett - may well want to share his passion for a "second career" in philanthropy.
It’s with this in mind that I’d like to make sure that folks who'd like to emulate Bill Gates can take advantage of the resources available here at onPhilanthropy.com. I hope to achieve this by comparing themes that we know well about the nonprofit and philanthropic sector with a Microsoft-themed guide.
Let’s begin.
Crashes. You don’t need a BSoD (“blue screen of death”) to see that the current U.S. market is walking through a recession. High fuel cost have forced inflation, the unemployment rate continues to grow, the US dollar seems to get weaker by the week, and the high number of foreclosures, all make this evident. Its because of this some nonprofits have been starving a bit too. Well, Caroline Gallagher, in her article, “Panic? Does Economic Downturn Mean Crisis for Nonprofits?” concludes that changing one's strategy and diversifying their approach can go a long way. Want to know how? You should read it here.
Government Intervention. What’s the U.S. government done to help me lately? Well, it established the American Competitiveness and Corporate Accountability Act, or as most people know it, Sarbanes-Oxley. While most of the provisions set in the law apply to corporations, two in particular affect nonprofits. First is the Whistle Blower Protection Act, which “provides new protections for whistle-blowers, making it illegal for a corporate entity to retaliate against any employee who reports suspected illegal activity by their employer”. The second, the Document Destruction Act, “makes it illegal to destroy or alter any document to prevent its use in an official proceeding”. You can learn more about this by reading Elliot Kipnis’ article, “Sarbanes-Oxley Compliance and Non-Profit Organizations” here.
Too many updates. Technology is always changing, but more important, is that the way people consume technology changes faster. That’s why waiting five years to make a move on updates can really hurt your brand (and your market share, read:Vista). Therefore, taking advantage of new technologies is quintessential to your cause. Garth Moore and Jenn Thompson, frequent posters of the blog onLine, cover ways to pivot Web 2.0 developments towards your cause. Consider Garth’s article on Twitter, the tool that helps keep friends updated on what you’re doing, and how you can use it to let people know what your Foundation is working on. For example, on one day someone like a Gates (at any level) you could post to feed that, “The Foundation just donated $19 million to the International Rice Research Institute in hopes to develop rice with higher amounts of micronutrients.” An approach like this can help humanize any Foundation, as well as keep those who are interested- interested. Read more about ways to take advantage of these tools at onLine.
Going global. Microsoft Windows led business globalization in the 90’s, and knows better than most about the benefits and risks. When it comes to philanthropy and globalization however, Dr. Susan Raymond leads the pack. In her five part series, “Growing Up Global”, available at onPhilanthropy, Dr. Raymond covers the ways philanthropy has matured around the world (Part I), how traditions and cultural shifts are affecting giving (Part II), how developing nations are supporting themselves to make social change (Part III), the influence of the booming Asian markets on philanthropy (Part IV) and the positive impact the strong euro has had on European giving (Part V). If those are not enough, be sure to purchase her book, “The Future of Philanthropy: Economics, Ethics, and Management”, available at Wiley (www.wiley.com).
Competition. The good thing about being a well-known brand is that it often spurs loyalty and more success. The bad thing about being well known is that you become a target for competition. Competition in the OS market has been shifting dramatically. Previously unknown brands like Linux and OSX are now just as well known has XP and Vista. Philanthropy, although altruistic, can get competitive when seeking donor money and opportunities to be effective. Currently, Microsoft nemesis Google, through their foundation, Google.org, has been really good at being effective. As Julie Fagnani writes in her article, “Google: Better at Doing Good?”, “Google.org’s approach to systemic change is both innovative, groundbreaking and collaborative. Whether granting money for a particular organization or investing funds in a particular product or service, Google.org seeks to advance solutions to global issues and challenges”. Like Google.org, today's philanthropists should be innovative and well-organized to leverage their effectiveness. Read about what Google’s doing here, so that you can do it better here.
