Insights for you

Almost every leader I have been speaking to over the last few months has said some version of the same sentence: “I’m exhausted. Where has all the joy gone?” Perhaps winter is settling in, but I sense it is more than the weather. When uncertainty grows, we often quietly let go of joy first. Here’s what I believe: Joy isn’t a luxury for good times. It is a resource we need most when things are difficult. It is about finding moments of satisfaction and connection, even when the

Years in the corporate and philanthropy worlds taught me there will always be another email, meeting or request. The real question is whether our work creates value, strengthens relationships or advances a key goal. A colleague shared a simple matrix that changed where I put my energy, and I thought of sharing it with you today: Do. Decide. Delegate. Delete. Deciding where to put energy matters most in philanthropy and the nonprofit sector, where resources are stretched thin

A good doctor first looks for the cause: dehydration, stress, poor eyesight or something more serious. Philanthropy should work the same way. Grants are the right treatment for many headaches. For others, recoverable grants, concessional loans, and guarantees may work better. Consider three situations: • An organisation providing essential services to vulnerable communities may need flexible funding over many years; expecting repayment could undermine its mission. • A social

I don't know about you, but I have met a few people who ask how much of the price went to the dairy's accountants, its IT system or its quality checks when they buy a carton of milk. One tends to assume that those things are what get safe milk onto the supermarket or deli shelf. When deciding whether to support an organisation, our focus naturally shifts to the impact it will deliver. Behind the scenes, sound finances, skilled paid staff, well-supported volunteers, knowledgea

Our October magazine is now live! This month we focus on the work of United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, which plays a central role in the United Nations system’s efforts to advance sustainable development. Read all our articles live on our website now: https://untoday.org/ Special thanks to: Alex Mejia, Prisca Chaoui, Lisa Morrison, Li Junhua, Mollie Fraser-Andrews, Xin Feng, Jo Corvus, FABSCRAP, Snow Leopard Conservancy, Ashleigh Lutz-Nelson, Kayley Ba

Delighted to see an article I co-authored with Christian Tohmé, “Different paths, shared purpose”, published today by UN Today. Our key messages: - No institution can solve today’s global challenges alone. Governments, markets, philanthropy and multilateral institutions each bring different strengths. - Different structures, shared purpose: expanding what is possible through collective action. A big thank you to Prisca Chaoui and the UN Today for sharing our reflections in th

What if philanthropists and organisations stopped seeing each other as being on opposite sides of the table? Every week, the scripts arrive. Proposals, impact reports, lunch invitations. Each describes a real need, and you cannot say yes to everything. If you are a philanthropist, you are the film producer, looking for a story you believe in, a story which resonates with you and what you stand for. If you lead an implementing organisation, you are the director. You know who

Everyone expects answers, and the ground keeps moving beneath your plans. Perhaps your strategy no longer fits. Maybe your board and staff see the next chapter differently, and you're caught in the middle. You might be struggling to show how your efforts advance your mission Or the relationships that matter most, with grantees or funding partners, need aligning or rebuilding before you can progress. And too often, you carry it alone. Working even harder won't fix this. What h

In my work with philanthropists, I learned that giving often begins with what's closest: a place they love, their university, a community they care about, an illness that has touched their family, or a wildfire that has burned homes in their neighbourhood. Proximity matters because when we are close to a problem, we better understand the need and feel a greater responsibility to act. But proximity can create blind spots: the causes we are close to are not always the causes wi

Last night I realised something: I have not set an out-of-office since August 2025. A full year of always being reachable. Don't get me wrong, I love being connected to work, peers, family, and friends. But that realisation sat with me. So this summer, I am doing something different: intentionally disconnecting for a short while. I need to resist the temptation to check back in again. When I made this decision, I asked myself the obvious questions: Would I lose momentum? Woul

The Dorothy A. Johnson Center's 11 Trends in Philanthropy for 2026 highlights a landscape shaped by declining trust, technological disruption, changing donor expectations, and increasing pressure to demonstrate meaningful impact. Each of these trends is pulling philanthropies toward the same question. Why strategy still matters In my experience of working with philanthropies, a clear sense of direction helps in three ways: Firstly, it enables greater impact by helping organi

A couple of weeks ago, I went to Brussels to see a client's work up close, not just to talk about their work but to get to know the practitioners behind it. That trip confirmed what I always advocate for: being in the room whenever I can. The most meaningful moments were not always the scheduled conversations. They were the exchanges between meetings, the unexpected questions, the shared experiences and the moments where practitioners had the space to connect beyond their rol

My daughter's school graduation was two weeks ago, marking a major milestone and a moment of pride for her, other parents, and classmates. But beneath the celebration, I felt a deeper, bittersweet sense of one chapter closing and another beginning. What stayed with me was everything beneath it. The expectations around what education for the next generation leaders should look like and what counts as "the right path“. As a mother who broke from my family's tradition, I carry a

Recent political and business events have put leadership back in the spotlight, raising familiar questions about who should lead, what qualifies someone to lead, and why public confidence in leadership feels so fragile. These are not new questions, but they feel harder to ignore right now. The more leadership dominates global conversation, the more I find myself wanting to return to something quieter and more grounded. Leadership is not limited to governments or boardrooms. I

My mother always says that even good things become unhelpful at extremes. It is one of those sayings I find myself returning to often, especially in philanthropy and social impact work. At one end, we can become so focused on process that we lose sight of what makes meaningful change possible: relationships and a people-focused approach. Process creates clarity, consistency and accountability. We need it. But when it becomes the primary focus rather than the foundation, we ri

Anyone who has a teenager will recognise this moment, especially after the weekend. You are speaking clearly and calmly, doing everything you know works, and still nothing seems to land. The same thing can happen in professional partnerships. Most relationships flow naturally. We build trust, navigate complexity, influence outcomes, and create shared understanding. Then suddenly, in one particular relationship, none of the usual approaches seems to work. I find that uncomfort

I remember 2008 less by the dates than by how it felt. And lately, there has been a growing sense of déjà vu. I was pregnant, working at The Economist Group, and my husband was at Lehman Brothers when it collapsed. I remember hearing the announcement and the alarm that followed. What stayed with me was not only the financial instability but the collective paralysis. People and organisations froze. Decisions stalled. Everyone waited for some certainty to return. Lately, I am r

The most powerful thing about today's run had nothing to do with running. Today I joined more than 31,000 participants at the ASICS Austrian Women's Run in Vienna's Prater. Some ran. Some walked. Some kept going despite injury and exhaustion. Along the route were children, partners, friends, and families cheering us on! The energy was extraordinary, not because of medals or finish times, but because of what it represented: Freedom. Solidarity. Togetherness I ran for a dear fr

Three things I'm still turning over from a session on reimagining NGO models at Skoll World Forum last April: 1- Letting go of ego, logo, and control 2- Seeking PERFECT clarity hinders survival 3- Collaboration, sharing infrastructure, knowledge, and expertise is the new norm The conversations at Skoll shouldn't stay in Oxford. The real work is carrying them forward into our strategies, our partnerships, our funding relationships. How does this resonate with you? #SocialImpac

This question surfaces something deceptively simple but essential to cultivating and stewarding partners. Connection is shaped in the small, human choices we make every day. Checking in as people first, not roles. Being clear about what we can offer, and what we can’t. Taking time to understand context, culture and background, while still allowing more of ourselves into relationships over time. What stands out most is that vulnerability, curiosity, and authenticity aren’t ext