Philanthropy Report - Legacy From The Heart

Despite his claim that he would rather give to entrepreneur Elon Musk than to a charity, the Google CEO gave $177-million to a nonprofit in February, according to SEC records.

Thirteen percent believe donations will grow by at least 15 percent after 2013 showed strong gains following many years of struggle.

"The earliest charitable foundations were probably temples caring for the sick in ancient Egypt. King Pandukabhaya of Sri Lanka, in the fourth century BC, set up early hospitals, as did King Ashoka in India in the third century BC. But our exploration of wealth and giving begins with the Ancient Greeks, from whom we derived the word philanthropy."

AN : it is always interesting and informative to look at the roots of words and concept. That also means going backward in time. This article and the downloadable pdf further our knowledge and understanding of the roots of philanthropy.

http://goo.gl/wOZ9k

VSO's Mark Rowland, has just returned from Uganda where he spent the last week understanding the challenges facing entrepreneurship and the role that NGOs can play in releasing the power of pro-poor enterprise...

"We brought together 15 young entrepreneurs from Europe, who all had experience of setting up a businesses to address a social issue, to work with 15 Ugandan counterparts. Their task was to answer a single question: how can we accelerate the building of enterprises that are commercially viable and also create prosperity for poor communities?

The process highlighted three key obstacles that stand in the way of enterprise flourishing in Uganda and across Africa. These are the challenges of capital, capacity and corruption."

AN : philanthropy is not just giving money. The saying of the value of " giving a fish versus teaching to fish " is so apropos.  The interplay of capital, capacity and corruption are so vital in developing self sufficiency and sustainability.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sustainable-business/developing-enterprise-achieve-inclusive-economic-growth

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is a well known non-profit sponsor of education grants and initiatives.

Are Larry Page, Jerry Yang, and Larry Ellison pulling their philanthropic weight?