We will assess how various types of potential grantors from different sectors look at potential grantees and analyze critical determinants. We explore these perspectives with guest panelists Westina Matthews-Shatteen, Managing Director Merrill Lynch; Jacob Lief, President & co-Founder Ubuntu Education Fund; Elizabeth Sackler, President & CEO Arthur M. Sackler Foundation in the NYU graduate course I created and teach annually.  Watch two- to three-minute video clips of each and if you have interest in seeing more of the discussion contact us. Also, post your comments on the philanthropic perspectives of corporations, foundations, individuals or others.

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  • Carl Tuvin July 12, 2009, 1:27 pm

    Nadine,

    You and I were wedded to the old school. There were no computers, no blogs, no face book etc.

    It is good that your are breaking through. I have been thinking about this over the past several months. Your blog and the information it contains has moved my thinking forward.

    We need to get together and compare notes on what you do and maybe do some joint work together.

    I hope that you had a good flight to London and if it is for business haop you will have sometime for fun

    Your Friend

    Carl
    Carl R. Tuvin
    301-254-8461

    Reply
  • Kofi A. Boateng July 13, 2009, 10:34 am

    Nadine’s experiment at NYU of bringing the real world to the classroom is exceptional and much needed. I wished I had such opportunities when I was in school. I have participated for four years and each time is different. The students seem to cherish the interaction and so do the invited lecturers. Keep up the good work, Nadine.

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  • Jacob Lief July 14, 2009, 8:58 am

    Thanks again, Nadine, for the opportunity to speak with your students. As I highlighted in my presentation, long-term donor investment is key. Ubuntu Education Fund has been successful in fundraising because we have asked people to go on a journey with us. We know that we cannot change a child’s life in a year. It takes a tremendous amount of time and resources to truly alter a child’s life path. But if you commit to invest in us for several years, I can assure you that we will be able to show you real impact and true progress. At Ubuntu, I am constantly telling our team that we are in this for the long run; we must measure ourselves against where we have come from not where we want to go. We must constantly improve and continue to make progress—get better at what we are doing. This is what we need to show our donor base.

    Investing in a non-profit should not be treated any different than an investment made in a for-profit venture. The investor should expect challenges in the short-term in order to have success in the long-term; the organization should fulfill its mission efficiently, effectively, and ethically. I become frustrated when I see funders getting caught up in discussions around “administrative” costs, etc. To build sustainability, NGOs must invest in their HR, accounting, and administrative departments… we cannot undermine ourselves. This is Business 101. This is how Ubuntu has grown to where we are today—check out Nancy Lublin’s article in the latest edition of Fast Company: http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/137/do-something-good-vs-evil.html

    All the best,
    Jacob Lief
    President & Founder
    Ubuntu Education Fund

    Reply

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