What is Venture Philanthropy
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I believe Philanthropy is not about giving money but about solving problems. This is at least the philosophy we follow at the Financial Policy Council
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What is Venture Philanthropy
- 3. I believe Philanthropy is not about giving money but about solving problems. This is at least the philosophy we follow at the Financial Policy Council I also believe a philanthropist should think like an entrepreneur and think of social challenges as an opportunity to create large enterprises. It’s really easy to create a $1 billion company–you just have to solve a $10 billion problem. Most of these large $10 to $100 billion problems happen to be social problems.
- 4. That’s why I think that some of the largest opportunity exist for an entrepreneur in solving humanity’s grand challenges. True philanthropy requires a disruptive mindset, innovative thinking and a philosophy driven by entrepreneurial insights and creative opportunities. To disrupt the statusquo, drive philanthropy at tremendous scale, and develop long-term economic vitality through giving, we must apply the same models for successin our philanthropic endeavors as we do in business. As a lifelong entrepreneur and financier, I see philanthropic organizations the same as any other business venture.
- 5. Much like today’s start-upsthat accept VC money but never turn a profit, a philanthropic venture that does not create a self- monetizing, sustainable financial model will ultimately fail. In short, philanthropy requires disruption. This disruptive mindset hinges on a practice I call EntrepreneurialPhilanthropy, which is designed to support innovation that creates sustainable, thriving economies in communitieswith tremendousneed. Further, it requires the utilization of several principles rooted in today’s successfulenterprises.
- 6. SustainableSolutions A venture that’s not profitable is not sustainable. Philanthropic funds should be treated as venture capital that should only be used to bootstrap a business and to scale the business once the businessmodel has been proven on a smaller scale. Dreaming Big Truly disruptive philanthropic endeavors, much like business ventures, need to think big, targeting tremendouslylarge markets and opportunities. Solving a problem in the millions will never catapult your businessinto the league of billions.
- 7. In other words, if you want to create a company worth $1 billion, you must solve a $10 billion problem. There are many philanthropists and volunteers who act locally, giving tirelessly, donating their time and money to help the sick, poor and other individuals most in need. But why stop there? Philanthropic work on the local level is wonderful, but time and again it has proven incapable of reaching the scale we need to foster economic development and leading to the monumental changes we all seek.
- 8. Scalable Solution for Global Markets To do that, we need scale. If we go into a philanthropic endeavor afraid of successon the largest of scales, we do that cause no justice. This requires rethinking the solution and the problem, which generally requires us to convert infrastructure problems into information-gap problems. Our job, indeed our collective goal, is to bridge that gap. Educationfor example should not be about maintaining a system that dates back to the industrial revolution. We can achieve so much more, at unmatched scale with software and interactive learning.
- 9. Similarly, think about the healthcare diagnostics we can address through connectedsensors and artificial intelligence without the need for expensive, out-of-date physical infrastructure like hospitals. Build Great Teams While most philanthropists tend to flock together and build their teams around friends, family, or others who happen to be retired or with a lot of free time on their hands, a great entrepreneur knows that success is directly related to the quality and talents of their team.
- 10. We cannot just partner with whoever might be available or share our passion during their retirement. Successfulventures in business or philanthropy are built around great teams who can help us overcome tremendous challenges– and have the right experiences and relationships to do so. Bottom Line: EntrepreneurialPhilanthropy is not just a philosophy or a dream. It is a promise that philanthropy is at its best when it is founded on entrepreneurial zest and agility. Investors are right to demand a clear path to self-sustainability from every business they invest in, and I believe we should ask for the same from philanthropy.
- 11. Indeed, there is a direct correlation between fulfilling peoples’ needs as a successfulentrepreneur and as a philanthropist. This is why the work of entrepreneurial philanthropists has a compoundingimpact that reverberates far beyond the reaches of charity, aid and relief efforts. Money can certainly solve some of the world’s problems, but without an entrepreneurial bent it will only merit short-lived solutions to long-term problems Thank you, Follow Ziad K Abdelnour @