Philanthropy repackaged for bankers

I have just attended the Asia Venture Philanthropy Network 2014 Conference (AVPN2014).  AVPN began in 2012 as an extension to the European Venture Philanthropy Association.  I blogged on the inaugural conference last year and pronounced myself an enthusiast.


What has happened since then and how is my enthusiasm faring? Without wanting to seem a Pollyanna-ish, I confess my enthusiasm remains. Who could not fail to be enthused by a forum where speakers made comments such as these:

• "The word can't means we haven't thought hard enough"
• "Can't means opportunity"
• "Philanthropy is about good people who won't take no for an answer"

The energy and commitment of 380+ attendees from 30 countries (the official count said 29 but I had been counted as from Australia which I'm not! I attended from New Zealand) was palpable.

Last year, I reported a comment that venture philanthropy has been around for aeons. I reckon that still is an accurate statement. A friend who was also attending made the apt comment that "venture philanthropy is philanthropy repackaged for bankers". I don't want to suggest that's a negative. Far from it. But I think that it is a reminder that philanthropy has existed for millennium and in all cultures of the world. The keynote speaker, an Indian banker, spoke of the influence on his personal philanthropy of America, of Islam, of Buddhist meditation. Through these influences he reached a final conclusion, "the only thing enduring we can do in the world of business is the impact that we make on society". Another banker there noted wryly, "I never read a book called "The Great Businessmen of the 18th Century". He added that "the only way to leave a mark is through things that create social change".

My guess is that around two thirds of the delegates present had come from the world of banking and finance. So therefore, yes – it does seem as though venture philanthropy is philanthropy repackaged for bankers. Now is that a bad thing? No, far from it. First of all,  the world of bankers is a world of money and finance. What is its that nonprofits and charities around the world most are mostly seeking?

It is precisely that money and finance which bankers are trained and skilled at accessing. The skills that they bring to philanthropy include assessing, analyzing and measuring risk and impact. The world from which they come requires them to ask questions and draw conclusions which inform hard decisions. Are these not people whom you would want on your team? So what if they re-frame the language of gift and good as investment and impact. Any good fundraiser (or banker) will tell you that the way to successfully negotiate a deal is to see through the eyes, to walk in the shoes, to talk in the language of the other party. So learning the language of finance - or learning the language of venture philanthropy - is important for nonprofits who plan to tap into this new opportunity.

But for those of you that are nervous of a language that seems to be based on numbers, ratios and percentages I can pass on other heartening news. A meme of the conference was that, at the end of the day, most investment (read 'donation') decisions are judgements made on the basis of people. People give to people, the old saying goes among fundraisers, and people invest in people.

Another heartening meme was that stories, especially stories told by video or film  are as - if not more - effective and valuable as statistics, percentages and ratios to demonstrate convincing success and impact.

You will hear more of Asian Venture Philanthropy and I would encourage you to embrace it. On the basis of the energy and commitment that I again experienced at AVPN2014 I am convinced it has the potential to achieve significant social change. Even if it is philanthropy repackaged for bankers it is your job to open the package.