Nicholas Ferguson

Taking an active approach

By Susan Mackenzie

Background: Chairman, Institute for Philanthropy. Chairman and former Chief Executive of SVG Capital plc, formerly Chairman of Schroder Ventures; non executive Director of BskyB. Chairman of the Courtauld Institute of Art; Trustee of GuideStar UK.

‘If you want the world to be a better place, then do something about it. No government in the world has the resources to do all that is needed. Charitable giving is fundamental to a healthy society.’ Heeding his own words, Nicholas Ferguson takes an active approach to philanthropy, mixing passion with strong business sense. ‘Philanthropy is both similar to and different from investing. The people running the organisation make all the difference; yet, with charities it is much harder to qualify a return.’

Nicholas is also frustrated by the lack of information in the non-profit sector: ‘If you want to, for example, help drug-addicted kids in Glasgow, then how do you determine (a) what charities work in this area, and (b) which ones are most effective?’ In his quest to improve information flows in the sector, he met Hilary Browne-Wilkinson through a mutual contact at GuideStar US, and soon became involved with the Institute for Philanthropy.

Nicholas’ own charitable giving is inspired primarily by personal experiences. For example, he gives to those organisations with which he’s involved, such as Edinburgh University, his alma mater, where he and his wife sponsor scholarships for students from the west coast of Scotland. They also have a donor-advised fund with the Scottish Community Foundation that benefits youth and elderly in Argyll, and he has started a mentoring group for chief executives of UK charities.

Nicholas summarised: ‘If you give in a thoughtful way, and get involved, you can make a huge difference, and it gives you a lot of satisfaction.’

(from Philanthropy UK Newsletter, June 2005)

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