Do One Better with Alberto Lidji in Philanthropy, Sustainability and Social Entrepreneurship

In this episode we focus on the power of regenerative agriculture and why you, as a consumer, can literally eat your way to a better world.

We speak with Angus McIntosh, who is better known in South Africa as 'Farmer Angus'. He grew up on a cattle ranch in Kwa-Zulu Natal. Studied Management Accounting at Stellenbosch University before stockbroking for Goldman Sachs in London. Declined the offer of promotion, left his job and moved to South Africa. Built a clay home with inspiration from various people on the way leading to him to eventually become a biodynamic student, grass farmer and carbon sequestrator.

Thank you for downloading this episode of The Do One Better Podcast. Visit our website at Lidji.org for information on more than 150 interviews with remarkable leaders in philanthropy, sustainability and social entrepreneurship. We invite you to follow us and leave us a review to help others find this show.

On this episode, we are talking with Shane Ryan, Global Executive Director of the Avast Foundation.  Many of you who use a computer day in and day out will recognise the Avast brand — they are one of the world’s leading antivirus software providers.

We are going to be talking with Shane about equity and inclusion within the digital space, and to kick things off, here’s a sobering statistic: 

According to the United Nations, nearly 3 billion people, or 37% of the global population, have never been online despite a rise in Internet use during the pandemic. And, here’s another statistic: 96% of those nearly 3 billion people who have never been online, live in the developing world.

Today’s conversation is well-rounded and spans equity and inclusion within the digital space, trust-based philanthropy, inclusive co-design and much more. 

Shane himself has overcome much adversity during his childhood, having been in care and coming from humble beginnings in West London; and subsequently succeeding in a career that saw him become Deputy Director of the National Lottery Community Fund, in the UK and, today, Global Executive Director of the Avast Foundation.

His experience in equity, inclusion, grant-making and philanthropy provide him with a unique vantage point from which to shed light on the importance of equitable and inclusive digital futures, trust-based philanthropy and inclusive co-design.  Inclusive co-design being a thread that is constant throughout Shane’s career — he has always been passionate about ensuring everyone has a voice.

Thank you for downloading this episode of The Do One Better Podcast. For information on more than 150 interviews with remarkable leaders in philanthropy, sustainability and social entrepreneurship, visit our website at Lidji.org

The Beacon Collaborative exists to encourage more private assets to be used for public good.  It is a focal point where philanthropists can come together, share ideas and learn from each other – and where organisations can collaborate to support them on their donor journeys.

We explore the barriers and opportunities in giving philanthropically; the intergenerational dynamics within families; the regulatory environment; the value of relationships between donors and charities and ways in which government can foster more philanthropy.

This episode looks at philanthropy from a UK context but will inform and inspire an international audience. 

Thank you for downloading this episode of The Do One Better Podcast. For information on more than 150 interviews with remarkable leaders in philanthropy, sustainability and social entrepreneurship, visit our website at Lidji.org

Prior to founding Co-Impact in 2017, Olivia served as Founding Director of the Giving Pledge, an effort launched by Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett.

Co-Impact, brings together partners from around the world to drive forward just and inclusive systems change. They’re operating in 13 countries in Africa, Latin America and Asia.

Funding comes from philanthropists, institutions, corporates and social change leaders; and their program partners are locally-rooted organisations that are working to transform government and market systems to be more effective and more equitable. 

They are focused on education, health and economic opportunity; and they have recently launched a new Gender Fund, which advances gender equality and is focused on women’s leadership in law and economics.  The Gender Fund has a 10-year horizon and aims to invest $1 billion, of which they have already raised a third. 

This episode provides a candid look at one of the most innovative and substantive collaboratives in the world of philanthropy. It will inform and inspire you.

Thank you for downloading this episode of The Do One Better Podcast. For information on more than 150 interviews with remarkable leaders in philanthropy, sustainability and social entrepreneurship, visit our website at Lidji.org

In this episode, we learn about Porticus’ global operations and explore the importance of participation, building networks, developing programs from the ground up and driving systems change.

Since 1995, Porticus has coordinated the philanthropic endeavours of the Brenninkmeijer family, continuing a tradition of social engagement stretching back as far as 1841. 

Porticus works in 65 countries and has offices around the world. They have 1,500 partners with whom they aim to improve the world. 

Despite their size and reach, they’ve kept a low profile and traditionally the family said they wanted to focus on their partners, rather than have the spotlight on themselves — let our partners shine.

Now Porticus is changing to a more transparent approach. As Melanie notes, when you’re focusing on systems change, you need to get involved in advocacy, you need to be able to influence policy, so there are good reasons for taking a more public and transparent role. It also helps to get new partners and co-funders involved.

Thank you for downloading this episode of The Do One Better Podcast. For information on more than 150 interviews with remarkable leaders in philanthropy, sustainability and social entrepreneurship, please visit our website at Lidji.org

The Valuable 500 is using the power of business to drive lasting change for the 1.3 billion people around the world who are living with a disability.  

They are a collective of 500 businesses and CEOs, chaired by Paul Polman (former CEO of Unilever), who are innovating for disability inclusion, and who include some of the most recognised firms and brands around the world: Google, Microsoft, Apple, Deloitte and Barclays, to name a few.

These 500 companies represent 22 million employees around the world, in 64 sectors, with $8 trillion in revenue power. Caroline is unequivocal that this is an initiative that comes from the heart; if we can make business good, we can change the world.

We also learn about Caroline’s personal challenges and disability: being legally blind (having been diagnosed with ocular albinism, a genetic condition that severely impairs vision), having to remortgage her house in order to get the Valuable 500 off the ground and going to great lengths to get Paul Polman on board.

Thank you for downloading this episode of The Do One Better Podcast. Please visit our website at Lidji.org for information on more than 150 interviews with remarkable leaders in philanthropy, sustainability and social entrepreneurship. Please leave us a rating and a review since it helps others find this show.

Learn how the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation is making an impact; helping non-profit organisations by advancing AI and data solutions to create a thriving, equitable, and sustainable future for all.

Claudia Juech is Vice President of Data and Society at the Patrick. J. McGovern Foundation and was Managing Director for Strategic Insights at the Rockefeller Foundation.

Her career has been all about using data for decision making – first in the financial sector in Germany and more recently at the Rockefeller Foundation, where she and her team used foresight approaches and innovation methodologies to identify the most promising ideas that could be shaped into the next $100M initiative. 

This episode will stimulate your thinking and provide you with tangible examples of how data can be leveraged to drive forward social good.

Thank you for downloading this episode of The Do One Better Podcast. For information on more than 150 interviews with remarkable leaders in philanthropy, sustainability and social entrepreneurship, please visit our website at Lidji.org

James Chen has dedicated the last 20 years to addressing the issue of poor vision. He founded Clearly, a global campaign to educate the public and world leaders and raise the profile of the issue — championing innovation and spreading best practices that help make sight tests and affordable glasses available to all, as well as connecting people committed to tackling this issue so we can all be a catalyst for change. 

As part of this work, James convinced 52 countries at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) to pledge affordable eye care for all, created the first UN working group on poor vision and completed research which found glasses had the largest productivity increase of any other health intervention. 

He is creating a tipping point in how poor vision is viewed on the global health agenda, culminating in the unanimous UN ‘Vision for All by 2030’ resolution in the summer of 2021.

In this episode, James also explains his passion for moonshot philanthropy and why it’s important to think big, take calculated risks and, in his words, privatise failure and socialise success, whereby philanthropists absorb the costs when things don’t quite work out and they share with the wider world when interventions succeed.

Thank you for downloading this episode of The Do One Better Podcast. Please visit our website at Lidji.org for information on more than 150 interviews with remarkable thought leaders in philanthropy, sustainability and social entrepreneurship. Please leave us a rating and a review to help others find this show.

Grantmaking is imperfect and full of opportunities for improvement. We explore a range of topics, including (1) trust-based philanthropy; (2) power imbalances; (3) participatory grantmaking; and (4) striving to make grantmaking more accessible, equitable and empathetic.

Tom and Gemma are authors of the book ‘Modern Grantmaking’, which provides useful tips for professionals in this field and instils a belief that better is possible.

Thank you for downloading this episode of The Do One Better Podcast. For information on more than 150 interviews with remarkable thought leaders in philanthropy, sustainability and social entrepreneurship, visit our website at Lidji.org