The Tactical Philanthropy Podcast is a series of conversations with influential people in the philanthropic sector. Below you’ll find the full archive of interviews. If you would like to suggest a guest for an upcoming interview, have comments or questions, please let me know. Starting with the June 7, 2007 interview, the interviewees fielded questions and comments from readers. Click through to the original post to see these follow up discussions.
Today’s podcast is with Fred Krupp of Environmental Defense Fund. Fred has been the leader of EDF since he took over in 1984 at age 30. Known for embracing partnerships with corporations and advocating market based solutions, EDF has become a powerful force in the environmental movement. Last year, Fred was named by U.S. News & World Report as one of America’s Best Leaders. Fred is co-author of the new book Earth: The Sequel, which Michael Bloomberg has said “[puts] optimism back into the environmental story”.
Click To Play
Sean Stannard-Stockton: Hello, and welcome to the Tactical Philanthropy podcast. I’m Sean Stannard-Stockton, author of the Tactical Philanthropy blog and principal and director of Tactical Philanthropy at
Ensemble Capital. My guest today is Fred Krupp. Fred is president of the Environmental Defense Fund. EDF uses public-private partnerships to tackle the world’s most serious environmental problems. They are known for their long success of leveraging market forces to further their mission, and their strategy of partnering with the world’s largest corporations. Fred and his co-author, Mariam Horn, have recently released the book, Earth: The Sequel. Fred, thank you so much for joining us.Fred Krupp: Delighted to be here.
Sean Stannard-Stockton: Fred, your book is full of stories about innovative ways that for-profit entrepreneurs frequently are creating powerful new business models that they believe, or that you believe, has the potential to save the planet. Why don’t you begin by telling us a story or two about some of these entities that are competing in a marketplace in a way that you think has this potential to save the planet.
Fred Krupp: Sure, Sean. We tell the story of Bernie Karl, up in Alaska, who had this for-profit idea that he could have a lot of tourists visiting his resort if he built an ice hotel. But he had a find a way to keep that ice hotel frozen in the summer. Unfortunately, he built the hotel, summer came, the hotel melted. And Forbes dubbed this the dumbest business idea of the year. But he persevered…
Read More »
Today’s podcast interview is with Alberto Ibarguen, the CEO of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. The Knight Foundation has its roots in the newspaper business and today makes grants that transform journalism and communities. Alberto was publisher of the Miami Herald before he joined the foundation in 2005.
During the interview, Alberto discusses the foundations effort to hire an “online community manager”, why one of the Knight Foundation’s major projects might make some people “vomit on the table” (and why he’s OK with that), how the foundation is planning on funding “wonderful strangeness”, and the promise of “prize philanthropy”.
(Please be patient while you wait for the audio file to download. The transcript is below.)
Click To Play
Alberto will be responding to comments, so let us know your thoughts. You can read the transcript by clicking on the link below.
(Full disclosure: my brother is currently on a Knight Fellowship at Stanford. However, he was not involved in any way with the production of this content nor in setting up the interview).
Read More »
January 14, 2008 – 10:42 am
Today’s podcast is with Phil Buchanan, executive director of the Center for Effective Philanthropy. The mission of the Center for Effective Philanthropy is to provide management and governance tools to define, assess, and improve overall foundation performance. As the Center’s first executive director, Phil has led the organization to play an increasingly important role in the philanthropic sector. His comments have appeared in numerous national publications, and he is a member of the Nonprofit Times Power and Influence Top 50.
During the podcast Phil and I discuss why most foundations are not strategic, the role of intermediaries in fixing the philanthropic capital markets, and a “secret club” of foundations that seem to be responsible for all of the innovation in philanthropy.
If you post comments and questions in the Comments section, Phil will respond.
Click on the link below to read the transcript…
Read More »
December 5, 2007 – 11:13 am
Today’s podcast is with Heather McLeod Grant and Leslie Crutchfield, the authors of the new book Forces for Good: The Six Practices of High-Impact Nonprofits. Forces for Good examines the characteristics of nonprofits that are achieving high impact. Heather’s been an advisor to the Center for Social Innovation at Stanford, as well as to many nonprofits. She holds an MBA and worked at McKinsey, consulting with for-profit companies. Leslie is a managing director at Ashoka, a research grantee at the Aspen Institute, and a philanthropic advisor to foundations and high net worth individuals.
During the podcast Heather and Leslie discuss the importance of nonprofit groups engaging in political advocacy, the difficult in measuring impact (and the flaws in Charity Navigator’s system of measuring efficiency), the need for nonprofits to engage their volunteers, and the ways in which nonprofits can learn from Web 2.0 companies.
If you post comments and questions in the Comments section, Heather and Leslie will respond.
You can read some background about the book and both authors here.
Click on the link below to read the transcript…
Read More »
October 22, 2007 – 9:23 am
Today’s interview is with Robert Egger. Robert is a driving force behind the Nonprofit Primary Project and is the Founder and President of the DC Central Kitchen. During the interview, Robert explains the political clout of the nonprofit sector, says it is an urban myth that nonprofits cannot be political involved, and calls me “brother” twice. I think that this is one of the more important conversations I’ve recorded. Whether you are a donor, work for a nonprofit, or at a foundation, you’ll find a lot to stimulate your thinking. You can learn more about Robert via the background notes I posted last week.
Robert will be answering your questions and comments in the Comments section of this post, so fire away.
You can click on the link below to read the transcript.
Read More »
September 17, 2007 – 10:15 am
Today’s interview is with Cheryl Dahle. Cheryl was employee number 24 at Fast Company Magazine and spearheaded the launch of the Fast Company Social Capitalist Awards. During the interview, Cheryl talks about mainstream media coverage of philanthropy, the importance of social enterprises and the challenges faced by nonprofits that try to grow rapidly. You can learn more about Cheryl via the background notes I posted last week.
Cheryl will be answering your questions and comments in the Comments section of this post, so fire away.
You can click on the link below to read the transcript.
Read More »
August 16, 2007 – 8:06 am
Today I’m happy to present the delayed podcast with Stacy Palmer, editor of the Chronicle of Philanthropy. Stacy was involved in founding the paper in 1988, the leading newspaper in the philanthropic sector. During the interview, I ask her about her thoughts on philanthropy blogs, the Chronicle’s plans for their own blogs, the mainstreaming of philanthropy, and whether all of the hoopla over Buffet and Gates is warranted.
You can learn more about Stacy via the background notes I posted last week.
Stacy will be answering your questions and comments in the Comments section of this post, so fire away.
You can click on the link below to read the transcript.
Read More »
Today’s interview is with James Canales. Jim is president and CEO of the James Irvine Foundation, a 1.7 billion dollar private foundation dedicated to expanding opportunity for the people of California.
You can read a complete background report on Jim here (feel free to add your own background notes via the comments). Briefly: Jim was one of the panelists at the Demonstrating Impact session at the Council on Foundations conference in Seattle this year (you can read my write-ups here and here). The Irvine Foundation recently released a report called Midcourse Corrections (I wrote about it briefly here). After committing to a $60 million initiative, the biggest in their history, the Irvine Foundation realized that all was not going as planned. They released the Midcourse Corrections report to help other foundations avoid the mistakes they made. This is exactly the sort of knowledge sharing that I’ve been advocating.
Make sure to enter the Comments section at the bottom of this post to follow along with and participate in a follow up conversation with Jim.
Expand this post using the link below to read the transcript.
Read More »
Today’s interview is with William Schambra, director of Hudson Institute’s Bradley Center for Philanthropy and Civic Renewal. Bill is definitely the most controversial person I’ve featured in the podcast series, a fact that you’ll need to know to follow the comments that I’m sure will be coming. Part of what gets certain people’s juices flowing is Schambra’s conservative political views. The Bradley Center is widely considered a “conservative” think tank and Schambra was a senior advisor and speechwriter to Attorney General Edwin Meese under President Ronald Reagan. During the 2007 Council on Foundations conference, Schambra gave a speech (which I wrote about here) in which he readily acknowledged his political “outsider” position relative to the leanings of most of the audience.
Bill Schambra is a controversial figure. Certain bloggers have been waiting with baited breath to take a swing at him in the follow up discussion that will be occurring shortly (Bill will be responding to questions and comments in the Comments section at the end of this post). One writer advised me “Don’t wimp out, Sean. Either you play Bill or he plays you. That is his job.” Here’s my approach to these interviews; I think that verbal combat is an important element of the fire that forges better ideas. But I want that verbal combat to center around the ideas that are under discussion, not the people who voice the ideas. So let’s have at it. Bill sets forth a damning argument that strikes at the very heart of how philanthropy is practiced. He questions the concept that foundations in particular, or any philanthropic enterprise, can ever solve the root cause of most problems. Give it a listen, ask your questions, make your arguments and we’ll see if we can’t all come out the other side a little better for our efforts.
Make sure to enter the Comments section at the bottom of this post to follow along with and participate in a follow up conversation with Bill.
Expand this post using the link below to read the transcript.
Read More »
Today’s interview is with William Thomson, Andrew Carnegie’s
great-grandson. In our conversation we discuss the just announced winners of this year’s
Andrew Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy, what William’s great-grandfather
would have thought of today’s “new philanthropists”, why philanthropists need to "court risk" the blurring of
the lines between for-profit activity and philanthropy, and an emerging
philanthropic trend in Europe.
This interview was booked and recorded before I decided to have guests
participate in a follow up online conversation with listeners. We’ll
get back to that format next time with Bill Schambra.
Expand this post using the link below to read the transcript.
Read More »
Today’s podcast marks a new chapter in my evolving attempt to facilitate cross-disciplinary conversations in the field of philanthropy. As I announced yesterday, interviewees will now be expected to participate in a discussion of the podcast topics in the days after each release. However, for this to be successful I need your help. My readers have already shown a great interest in posting comments and emailing me their thoughts. Now is your opportunity to do the same with the thought leaders who are featured in the podcast. So leave your comments and questions and check back often to watch the discussion unfold.
Kicking off the new format is Paul Shoemaker of Social Venture Partners (SVP). SVP is like a giving circle on steroids. Using a venture capital model, SVP makes grants but also provides their grantees with knowledge, skills and valuable contacts. If you want more context about Paul and SVP check out info here, here and here.
As you develop your questions for Paul, I would encourage you to think about the following topics that we’ve already discussed: giving circles, measuring impact and outcomes, venture philanthropy, the impact of high tech entrepreneurs entering philanthropy for the first time, and “new” vs. “old” philanthropy.
Paul defends the venture capital concept, criticizes “big mouthed”, arrogant individuals for diluting the term “venture philanthropy”, tells us why he thinks there really is a “new donor” today, and talks about the rise of giving circles. Let Paul know what you think. Leave a comment at the end of this post or email me any thoughts or questions. I have Bill Schambra lined up to try this new format and a major foundation CEO considering giving it a try. Help me make this work and I think this venue will attract important leaders and spark a lively conversation. Thanks so much to everyone who has been participating in the discussion here. It has been my great honor and pleasure to watch the debate unfold.
Expand this post using the link below to read the transcript.
Read More »
My guest today is Daniel Ben-Horin. Daniel is founder and president of CompuMentor and TechSoup, who are behind the NetSquared Conference. Daniel discusses the history of CompuMentor, how technology is transforming nonprofits, explains the vision behind NetSquared, and reflects on the use of “wisdom of crowd” techniques in philanthropy.
Expand this post using the link below to read the transcript.
Read More »
My guest today is Jeff Martin. Jeff is Director of Media Relations for
the Council on Foundations. Jeff discusses the events that led up to
bloggers being invited to attend the recent conference, plans to
provide streaming video of conference sessions next year and the need
for transparency to be embraced by foundations.
Expand this post using the link below to read the transcript.
Read More »
Today’s interview is with Clara Miller. Clara is president and CEO of Nonprofit Finance Fund. NFF helps nonprofits match their passion and dedication with financial strength and sustainability. They provide impartial analysis, and flexible, frequently unsecured financing that nonprofits typically can’t get from other sources. Clara was voted one of 2006’s Power and Influence Top 50 by the Nonprofit Times. She has written and spoken extensively on nonprofit capitalization, and is the author of a number of articles on the subject.
I just got back from the Council on Foundations conference where I saw Clara speak. In this interview she explains the challenges that nonprofits face when trying to grow and how NFF is able to finance their expansion.
Expand this post using the link below to read the transcript.
Read More »
Today’s interview is with Peter Karoff. Peter is chairman and founder of The Philanthropic Initiative. TPI is a nonprofit advisory team that designs, carries out, and evaluates philanthropic programs for individual donors, families, foundations, and corporations. Peter frequently speaks and writes on philanthropic and social issues, and is the author of the book The World We Want: New Dimensions in Philanthropy and Social Change.
In the interview, we talk about donors using emotion vs. logic in their decisions making, Lucy Bernholz and my joint use of the word “co-creation” and its relevance to philanthropy, and the rise of market based philanthropic solutions. Peter ends the interview by reading one of his poems.
