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

Michael Traill is Chair of Australia’s largest foundation, the Paul Ramsay Foundation, and co-founder of For Purpose Investment Partners. Michael also co-founded Macquarie Group’s private equity arm, was Chief Executive of Social Ventures Australia and holds a Harvard MBA.

This episode provides key insight and detail for anyone who wishes to leverage private capital for social good. We explore a range of topics including:

(1) An overview of philanthropy in Australia today. (2) Going beyond grant-making and ensuring endowments are invested for impact. (3) Do investment professionals genuinely value impact investing? (4) How does a non-profit, impact investment manager actually work? (5) How do you go about deal flow origination, and what does a deal look like? (6) How do you go to market with an impact investment proposition? (7) How will the impact investing market evolve in the coming years? (8) Do most impact investment opportunities arise from private equity houses, philanthropic foundations, high net worth individuals, or elsewhere?

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

We explore the world of charities and delve into key questions, such as: 

(1) What’s the state of affairs with charities today?  (2) Why are so many charities struggling for funding when many foundations and major donors saw their endowments, net worth and equity portfolios grow so much in 2021?  (3) What’s the public perception of charities and is it well-founded?  (4) Are there too many charities and do they overlap with each other?  (5) Are there parallels to be drawn between the private sector and non-profit sector?  (6) Is it right for charity CEOs and their boards to focus on growth? 

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 -- Please leave us a rating and a review since it helps others find this show. Thank you!

A candid conversation where opportunities are fleshed out; where tensions between mission and sustainability are identified; and where a belief in doing better is underscored.

Should you use plastic packaging instead of glass? How do you tackle the tension between having organic protein food products that help children grow and the high carbon output that accompanies such protein?

We also explore the broader business landscape; delve into the merits of becoming B Corp certified; and consider the legislative agenda, such as the drive for the Better Business Act in the UK, which aims to ensure every company in the UK aligns their interests with those of wider society and the environment.

Ella’s Kitchen leads the way in organic baby food in the UK, is B Corp certified, operates in 35 markets and is mission-driven to improve children’s lives through developing healthy relationships with food.

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  Please follow the show if you’re not doing so already and leave us a rating and a review — thank you!

Deval Sanghavi, Co-Founder of Dasra, joins Alberto Lidji to discuss strategic philanthropy in India. Dasra began as a venture philanthropy fund to invest in early stage non-profit organizations in India.

After listening to this episode you will have better insight into the philanthropic landscape in India; understand how grant-making foundations are including the voices of NGOs into their grant-making decisions and how NGO leaders are being supported.

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 thought leaders in philanthropy, sustainability and social entrepreneurship.

Let’s transform education systems by reigniting intrinsic motivation! The Chair and CEO of STiR Education, Jo Owen and Girish Menon, explain why motivation is key to success.

STiR Education operates in India and Uganda, they’ve recently started a program in Indonesia and are currently in discussions with the education ministry in Ethiopia.  Brazil is being explored.

They’ve been funded by some of the world’s leading foundations, including MacArthur Foundation, IKEA Foundation, Dubai Cares, ELMA Foundation and UBS Optimus.

We hear how intrinsic motivation needs to run across entire education systems and without it even the most targeted education interventions are at increased risk of failure. 

Jo Owen and Girish Menon provide excellent insight and vivid examples to inform, inspire and help you make a bigger impact.

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

Transforming lives by setting up kids’ operating rooms and training paediatric surgeons in low and middle income countries. Garreth Wood, Chair of KidsOR, talks about need, solutions + economic impact.

KidsOR is operating in 20 countries; they’re focused on building centres of excellence for children's surgery; dramatically increasing capacity and access for safe surgery; and they’re doing it in government hospitals, creating safe spaces and the right tools. They are training a local healthcare workforce so they can care for their own nation’s children.

Beyond the moral imperative to support children, there’s a strong economic argument as well: Countries face a staggering difference in economic benefit between a child who spends their entire life living with a disability versus a child who’s able to contribute fully to the country as they grow up. 

In this conversation we explore a range of relevant issues, from the need to train paediatric surgeons, biomedical engineers and the local healthcare workforce, to scaling up internationally and collaborating with governments and ministries of health.

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

Jay Weatherill, CEO of Thrive by Five and former Premier of South Australia, discusses Early Childhood Development within an Australian context and introduces an exciting new parenting app.

Thrive by Five is an initiative of the Minderoo Foundation — a philanthropic outfit founded by Nicola and Andrew Forrest that has grown to AU$2.5 billion and is today one of the largest foundations in Australia and the region.

We explore the Early Childhood Development landscape; the work of Thrive by Five and the Minderoo Foundation; and their new parenting app.

As a former Premier of South Australia, we hear how James is able to draw on his experience and expertise to create a social movement and change political realities in the drive to put Early Childhood Development front and centre on the agenda.

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 please visit our website at Lidji.org

What if we loved politicians? Lisa Witter, CEO of the Apolitical Foundation, joins us to explore investing in new types of political leaders who will help us achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

A great conversation on empowering democracy for the 21st Century; supporting and training policymakers and political leaders; closing the gap between evidence and informed political action; and encouraging citizens to participate throughout the political process.

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, just visit our website at Lidji.org

Fran Perrin, Chair of 360Giving, calls for more data transparency in philanthropy and explains how grant-makers, charities and beneficiaries can benefit from sharing data.

360Giving is about making better grant decisions by having more information, and fitting funding to where it’s most needed and has the most impact. They are a charity helping organisations publish open, standardised grants data, and empowering people to use it to improve charitable giving.

Through data sharing they also help lower the barriers to entry for small charities that are fundraising, so they know where to apply and, in the process, stop wasting time applying for money that’s never going to be given.

In this episode we go beyond data transparency and also explore how COVID has shifted philanthropic thinking; the need for increased focus on diversity, equity and inclusion; power imbalances; and the increased prominence of trust-based philanthropy.  

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 please visit our website at Lidji.org

Dr Randa Grob-Zakhary, Founder and CEO of Education.org, is unequivocal about the need to reduce the gap between the existing body of evidence in education and the small amount of that evidence that’s actually being used by policymakers. 

Education.org is a young foundation making big, positive waves within the world of education. Early stage investors and partners supporting it include the Oak Foundation, Dubai Cares, Porticus, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative and Echidna Giving.

Randa brings innovative thinking to the table and, as she points out, “it’s very hard being a start-up in the education sector because the sector is so oriented towards the status quo”. 

Prior to founding Education.org, Randa held various roles, including CEO of the LEGO Foundation; Board Member with the Global Partnership for Education; and Global Head of Education at Porticus. She holds an M.D. and PhD in neuroscience from Johns Hopkins University.  

Thank you for downloading this episode. For information on more than 150 episodes with remarkable thought leaders in philanthropy, sustainability and social entrepreneurship just visit Lidji.org