Altruism News

Want to Save the World? Try Using Cold Hard Cash.

Wed, 25 May 2016 04:51:58 +0000

Want to Save the World? Try Using Cold Hard Cash.:

“We have this image of a convoy of trucks snaking across a mountain pass, carrying bags of food to people in desperate need, and this has become our sense of what the humanitarian system is,” said Owen Barder, a vice president of the Center for Global Development, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank.
Most charities have formed a deep attachment to “gifts in kind,” or donations of specific goods, said Andrew Natsios, the former head of USAID, who spent five years as vice president of the relief organization World Vision USA.
Michael Barnett, who teaches international affairs and political science at George Washington University, has spent the past five years conducting interviews with employees at about a dozen aid agencies, asking them why they have been reluctant to adopt cash transfer programs.

Millennials and Philanthropy: 9 Insights for Causes, Employers, and Marketers

Tue, 24 May 2016 20:43:00 +0000

Millennials and Philanthropy: 9 Insights for Causes, Employers, and Marketers:

Create a Junior Board and/or be intentional about having Millennials represented on your board, committees, and leadership to help guide and create future strategies Develop or partner on a young professionals network where they can meet other young professionals but also meet older, more experienced people who can help them in their career Post volunteer opportunities online that people can find and do as a group - with their company or with their friends
Ask Millennials, specifically and personally, to share key information and posts for you Partner with influencers, blogs, and people with strong social media followings to help you get your message out instead of buying ads or using traditional media Create a peer to peer fundraising campaign where they are able to, and asked, to use their network and skills for good - for you
Don’t wait 6 months and post a PDF on your website… Use trustmarks seals, and social proof from respected institutions and supporters to show you are worthy of attention and investment Frame your work and appeals for donations/fundraising in Specific Measurable Attainable Relevant Time-bound ways

Sparking fears of a zombie apocalypse: Controversial study aims to ‘reanimate’ the brain dead

Tue, 24 May 2016 19:47:21 +0000

Sparking fears of a zombie apocalypse: Controversial study aims to ‘reanimate’ the brain dead:

The research involved infusing millions of peptides — strings of amino acids that scientists believed may have the potential to block blood vessels feeding tumors — into the patients and then doing a number of invasive biopsies to see what happened.
The lead researcher for the project on the ground is Himanshu Bansal, a doctor whom the Hindu, one of India’s largest daily newspapers, described as “a slightly overweight, affable, eager-to-please man in his early forties.” He is an orthopedician, a specialist who deals with injuries and diseases of the musculoskeletal system, rather than a neuroscientist.
It is located in Rudrapur, Uttarakhand, a town about 145 miles from New Delhi that the Hindu said is “so inconsequential that it is best known for bad roads.” The researchers are talking to families with loved ones at intensive care units at local hospitals and looking for people who have been declared brain-dead but whose central nervous systems are mostly intact, such as someone who drowned in a pool or flew off a motorcycle with a helmet on.

Ethiopia: Youth for Socioeconomic Development

Tue, 24 May 2016 17:31:22 +0000

Ethiopia: Youth for Socioeconomic Development:

These have included practical assessments of their activities, such as: to meet school requirements; hopes of getting higher grades in a particular class; improving their chances of getting into college; or as an entry to a desired job.
These have included practical assessments of their activities, such as: to meet school requirements; hopes of getting higher grades in a particular class; improving their chances of getting into college; or as an entry to a desired job.
These variables are examined further in the study reported here to determine whether any predict involvement, so that Extension professionals may consider and recognize key factors in order to engage youth in local interactions, particularly in the implementation of 4-H programs.

Medical charity responds to mental toll of conflict

Tue, 24 May 2016 13:54:33 +0000

Medical charity responds to mental toll of conflict:

2015 Humanitarian Agenda was a sign of things to come at a conference organised by Médicins Sans Frontières (MSF) in London, United Kingdom, last week.
Malika Bouhenia, of MSF’s operational research unit Epicentre, presented a quantitative survey of refugees in the Calais makeshift camp in France.
Medical officer Benjamin Wood had a similar view: MSF’s mental health work has moved from treating post-traumatic stress disorder to more complex psychosocial approaches, he told me.

'The private sector thought it had a divine right to exist'

Tue, 24 May 2016 12:59:08 +0000

'The private sector thought it had a divine right to exist':

People saw through the whole idea of “shiny happy faces on page 84 of the annual report,” and in the end it became part of the contention between us and the NGOs who were out there doing the real work.
I think that governments are coming to understand the good that can be unleashed when the private sector are asked to do what we do anyway, but with a social agenda.
We’ve begun to work with areas of social impact that are close to our business model – in the case of MasterCard, that’s financial inclusion

Animal Protection Groups Discuss Effective Strategies at "Sentience Conference"

Tue, 24 May 2016 10:42:58 +0000

Animal Protection Groups Discuss Effective Strategies at "Sentience Conference":

Can the abuse and slaughter of farmed animals really be explained as highly urgent or preventing an immediate threat to human life, especially given the growing availability of tasty, healthy animal-free foods?
Executive Director Stefan Torges stated in his welcoming address that, “The question that drives us is how we can use our limited resources of time and money to effectively reduce the suffering of sentient beings as much as possible.”
Although strategies varied widely between attendees, there was a deep camaraderie in being with fellow animal advocates who thought critically about their work, innovated to find new cost-effective programs, and remained eager to change their approach if they found a new, more promising opportunity.

There is hope for survivors to heal

Tue, 24 May 2016 08:27:04 +0000

There is hope for survivors to heal:

Since the 1980s, when child abuse and domestic violence emerged from society’s skeleton closet, researchers and clinicians have rightly prioritized the tremendous wounds caused by adverse childhood experiences.
Part of trauma therapy is teaching grounding and relaxation techniques, and strategies to put time between impulse and action in order to reduce danger and instill a sense of control and mastery.
Many abuse survivors eventually do find a spiritual path in nature, neo-Paganism, connection with the Feminine Divine, or Native American prayer and rituals, and some return to a church.

Doris Schneeberger

Tue, 24 May 2016 05:40:28 +0000

Doris Schneeberger:

For a few weeks this spring, Vegan Outreach was lucky to have Doris join Yuri Mitzkewich on his tour across the southern states.
Every one of them is a multiplier, their influence and existence as an example for others are highly important for the moral advancement of humanity, which is vital for a peaceful future and the preservation of the integrity of our planet and its natural resources that all of us depend on.
I spent two months at Georgetown University in Washington, DC, as a visiting researcher writing a paper about my thesis in February and March of this year.

We’re wired to believe we’re good people-or at least not as bad as everyone else

Mon, 23 May 2016 18:59:52 +0000

We’re wired to believe we’re good people-or at least not as bad as everyone else:

In a new paper published this month in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology a pair of researchers from the University of Chicago analyzed this collective self-righteousness more closely.
In a series of experiments, participants were asked to evaluate the likelihood of themselves or others to do various moral or immoral behaviors.
A scientist who doesn’t believe he or she would ever manipulate data might be lazy about putting controls in place that would prevent that from occurring, the researchers point out.

A Letter From Our Foundation’s CEO

Mon, 23 May 2016 18:44:45 +0000

A Letter From Our Foundation’s CEO:

One of the neglected tropical diseases that afflict more than a billion people in developing countries, sleeping sickness endangers millions in sub-Saharan Africa.
While new diagnostic technologies and drugs are important, it’s private sector partners that provide the resources and expertise—not to make profit, but because it’s the right thing to do.
Last year, I met Haliru Usman, a health officer in Nigeria who collects sewage samples to test for the polio virus.

How Multilateral Development Banks Track Gender Equality

Mon, 23 May 2016 18:19:36 +0000

How Multilateral Development Banks Track Gender Equality:

Join Senior Fellows Mayra Buvinic and Charles Kenny for an event focused on how multilateral banks (MDBs) integrate gender across their operations and measure their gender equality-related impacts.
How do MDB approaches to integrating gender into operations differ?
In what ways are the MDBs already collaborating to improve their gender equality-related monitoring and evaluation?

Can't buy me love - the economics of gift giving

Sun, 22 May 2016 13:32:09 +0000

Can't buy me love - the economics of gift giving:

The story prompted a lively discussion about how much one should spend on a present for newlyweds - and most people who left comments on the Guardian’s website felt that this should be a matter for the giver and that the recipient should have been grateful for what she received.
This rate depends on many things, such as the closeness of the two people’s relationship, as well as their relative financial standing (in the wedding present story, the guest had just inherited some money and speculated that maybe the bride and groom expected to benefit more as a result).
Economic experiments show that a mere act of verbally agreeing to donate money to a common fund significantly increases subsequent contributions.

Philanthropy Trend Alert: Collective Impact

Sat, 21 May 2016 18:03:42 +0000

Philanthropy Trend Alert: Collective Impact:

In fact, some of these organizations may be working at cross purposes or competing against each other – for your charitable giving dollars or for the publicity associated with tackling an important issue.
Nonprofit forums, consultancies, commentaries in the philanthropy press, and academic research are evolving to provide the intelligence needed to help make collective impact work play a bigger role in the social sector and become more commonly used.
And when you are looking for the effectiveness of the nonprofits that you support financially, be aware that their efforts are probably tied to other organizations who are also trying to make positive change happen in the same issue area.

Three Must-Read Stories: The Weekend Reader

Sat, 21 May 2016 08:04:09 +0000

Three Must-Read Stories: The Weekend Reader:

Copay charities, which help cover out-of-pocket costs for Medicare patients, are almost entirely funded by drug companies, but it doesn’t seem much like corporate altruism.
The presidential contest again brings the subject of candidate tax-return disclosure to the fore, but Vox writes the U.S. would benefit if the tax information of every citizen were available for all to view.
Norway, Sweden and Finland each have such a system in place, and studies suggest that full transparency leads to reduced racial and gender earnings inequality, more efficient labor markets, employee empowerment and a goldmine of data for economists and policy setters.

A Sea Change in High-Net-Worth Philanthropy?

Sat, 21 May 2016 04:27:33 +0000

A Sea Change in High-Net-Worth Philanthropy?:

The reason for the controversy is that, instead of a traditional charitable vehicle, Chan and Zuckerberg have chosen to organize the Initiative as a privately held limited liability company (LLC) and aren’t seeking tax-exempt status.
Finally, modern philanthropists, used to overseeing every facet of their businesses, may also simply desire greater control over philanthropic activities than traditional vehicles can offer.
The donor has near total flexibility to change the LLC’s mission or projects at any time and has wide latitude to engage in self-dealing and make charitable use of the resources of any business he may own (this is what Google.org a for-profit philanthropic division of Google Inc., does).

Three Key Takeaways on Bridging the Humanitarian-Development Divide

Fri, 20 May 2016 22:20:26 +0000

Three Key Takeaways on Bridging the Humanitarian-Development Divide:

Both Miliband and Kim called for greater collaboration between humanitarian and development actors to bring more comprehensive and coordinated analysis, tools, expertise, and financing to the table.
In the case of Jordan, the World Bank and its partners brought more financing to the table to create special economic zones that will build infrastructure, attract private capital, and increase the country’s capacity to employ more Jordanians and refugees.
The session inspired me to dig deeper into this issue and look for ways to help policymakers “move away from ideology and toward evidence,” as Kim called for, so that we as a global community can better deliver for people in such great need.

Man Who Hustled Airbnb For a $250,000 Salary Reveals How to Dominate a Job Interview

Fri, 20 May 2016 07:50:35 +0000

Man Who Hustled Airbnb For a $250,000 Salary Reveals How to Dominate a Job Interview:

Qureshi, a former professional poker player with an English degree, recently wrote a blog post sharing his tips on how to navigate the work space and land job interviews.
Last year, he graduated from an elite coding bootcamp in San Francisco called App Academy to pursue a career in tech.
The advice from his blog post is geared towards software engineers in the Bay Area, however a good part of it is applicable to the general population.

New Charity Invites Female Millionaires To Donate - And Get Involved

Fri, 20 May 2016 04:18:33 +0000

New Charity Invites Female Millionaires To Donate - And Get Involved:

According to a 2014 report from the United Nations Population Fund, “less than two cents [of] every international development dollar is spent on an adolescent girl.”
It’s a philanthropic organization that was publicly launched this week at the Women Deliver conference in Copenhagen.
The group’s CEO is Kate Roberts who was a top advertising executive before becoming senior vice president of the nonprofit PSI — Population Services International.

High-Impact Philosophy: Making the World a Better Place

Thu, 19 May 2016 20:30:02 +0000

High-Impact Philosophy: Making the World a Better Place:

Lisa Fuller, Thomas Pogge, Peter Singer, and Leif Wenar lead the charge, employing philosophy as an instrument to advocate for the world’s most vulnerable people.
Fuller found that MSF’s actions are guided by the values of organizational independence, impartiality with respect to people served, proximity, neutrality, solidarity, integrity, collectivism, and justice.
The Health Impact Fund (HIF), Thomas Pogge’s undertaking, addresses the failure of the international patent system to provide medicines to the poorest and sickest populations in the world.