Notices

Giving: How each of us can change the world
Bill Clinton
London: Hutchinson, 2007. 256pp. Hardback. EAN: 9780091795757. www.rbooks.co.uk £20
Through his foundation and post-presidential work in the aftermath of the Asian tsunami and Hurricane Katrina, Bill Clinton has become an international spokesman and model for the power of giving. He takes this several steps further in his new book Giving with an inspiring look at how individuals, companies and organisations are making innovative efforts to solve problems and save lives, locally and globally. Clinton shares his own experiences and those of extraordinary people, and urges each of us to seek out what we can do to help others.

Beyond the Money: Reflections on philanthropy, the nonprofit sector and civic life 1999-2006
Edward Skloot
New York: The Surdna Foundation, 2007. Freely available online at www.surdna.org/usr_doc/Beyond_the_Money.pdf
Concluding nearly 19 years as president of the Surdna foundation, Edward Skloot looks back on a period of rapid change in American philanthropy, social policy, politics and civic ideals. Building on his experience as grant-seeker and foundation chief executive, Skloot asks how foundations, non-profit organisations and individuals can reach beyond the simple economics of donations and volunteerism to implement a more effective approach to organisational leadership, philanthropy and fundamental social change.

The Billionaire who Wasn’t: How Chuck Feeney secretly made and gave away a fortune
London: Perseus, September 2007. 338pp. Hardback. ISBN 978-1-58648-391-3 www.perseusbooks.com
This authorized, but unapproved, biography tells the story of how Chuck Feeney made a fortune as the founder of Duty Free Shoppers, and then gave most of it away through his foundation, Atlantic Philanthropies. Feeney supports causes around the world, including extensive gifts in the Republic of Ireland where his intervention has been described as “epoch-making” by the Nobel Laureate Seamus Heaney. Unlike many prominent philanthropists who turn to philanthropy after they have satisfied all their own wants for large houses, yachts, private jets and so on, the biographer paints a picture of a frugal man who travels economy class and doesn’t own a home or a car. Feeney intends to ‘spend out’ his foundation during his lifetime – he’s in his mid-seventies and has $4 billion left to give so this book is likely to be of interest to many. Read more about this book in the Influential Readling section of this issue.

Measuring Real Value: A DIY Guide to Social Return on Investment
London: New Economics Foundation, July 2007. Freely available online at http://www.neweconomics.org/gen/z_sys_PublicationDetail.aspx?PID=241
This guide provides instructions on how to prove and quantify the wider social value created by companies and organisations with a social purpose. ‘Social Return on Investment’ analysis captures the value of wider benefits of positive social and environmental impacts that are otherwise left off the balance sheet. Depending on the exact business model, social enterprises, third sector organisations and ethical businesses deliver a far wider range of benefits than it is possible to capture using narrow conventional assessments of returns on investment. This guide shows how they can prove it.

Evaluation of the School for Social Entrepreneurs 1997-2007
Richard Murray, Martin Cooper & Lisa Sanfilippo
London: New Economics Foundation, June 2007. Freely available online at
www.sse.org.uk/_uploads/File/Evaluation%20report%201997-2007.pdf
This report contains the findings of a thorough and public evaluation into the efficacy of the first decade of work undertaken by the School for Social Entrepreneurs (SSE). Key findings include: 85% of all organisations established whilst at the SSE are still in existence; each SSE fellow creates on average 3 paid jobs and 7 volunteering positions; over 60% reported an increase in turnover after completing the SSE programme with, on average, a five-fold increase; 88% of individuals on the programme experience a growth in confidence and skills to lead their organisation; and 60% agreed that their confidence continued to rise afterwards.

Leadership in the Social Economy
Charlotte Chambers and Fiona Edwards-Stuart
London: School for Social Entrepreneurs, June 2007. Freely available online at www.sse.org.uk/_uploads/File/Leadership%20in%20social%20economy.pdf
This report explores the journeys of successful social entrepreneurs, including their common features and characteristics, how these relate to organisational life-cycles, and contains recommendations for government, funders, trustees and support agencies. Specific research questions addressed include: what are the characteristics of the people who have provided effective and sustained leadership in growing and establishing successful social enterprise businesses? What are the hindrances to growth and sustainability in the organisations that they lead? What patterns characterise the progress of social organisations and community businesses from incubation to maturity? The report concludes that social entrepreneurs are ‘unusual people’ whose success can be attributed to their initiative, realism, self-sufficiency, willingness to learn and seek help and strong relationships with supporters.

Not seen and not heard: Child abuse, a guide for donors & funders
Emilie Goodall and Tris Lumley
London: New Philanthropy Capital, July 2007. 112pp. Paperback, (also available as a free downloadable PDF), ISBN 978-0-9553148-6-5. www.philanthropycapital.org £22.50
This report highlights a number of charities working to help those affected by child abuse, including charities that work in three areas. First, those that teach children how to identify abuse; for example, Eighteen & Under works with children, from pre-school age to teenagers, to help them understand what abuse is and how to protect themselves. Second, charities that treat abusers to help them stop abusing; for example, The Lucy Faithfull Foundation runs a helpline for people worried about their own thoughts or those of someone they know. And third, charities that protect vulnerable teenagers; for example, Barnardo’s helps children who are being sexually exploited or are at risk of exploitation.

Misspent youth: The costs of truancy and exclusion, a guide for donors & funders
Martin Brookes, Emilie Goodall and Lucy Heady
London: New Philanthropy Capital, 2007. 32pp. Paperback, (also available as a free downloadable PDF), ISBN 978-0-9553148-6-5. www.philanthropycapital.org £22.50
Failure to tackle truancy is costing the economy £800m each year, but one third of this could easily be saved, according to this report. Misspent Youth provides detailed calculations and sources for all data used and demonstrates the high returns for private donors and government in supporting charities such as The Learning Challenge and School-Home Support.

Going global: A review of international development funding by UK trusts and foundations
Lucy de Las Casas and Caroline Fiennes
London: New Philanthropy Capital, June 2007. 40pp. Paperback, available to download from www.nuffieldfoundation.org
International development is often new and unfamiliar territory for funders and they can struggle with the operational difficulty of funding internationally. But challenges can be overcome, according to a study of foundations making annual grants in this area of between £50,000 and £1m. The report, commissioned by Baring Foundation, Paul Hamlyn Foundation and the Nuffield Foundation, also notes the opportunity for UK funders to make a disproportionate impact given the scale of need and the fact that grants which are modest by UK standards can be life changing. The report aims to increase the number of funders of international development, and those interested in starting are encouraged to get in touch with Sarah Lock at the Nuffield Foundation - slock@nuffieldfoundation.org

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