Social Impact Blog

“More aid to developing countries” is probably not a bumper sticker you’ll see leading into next year’s elections. Bill Gates, who is not up for election, also refuses to make this overly simplistic message. Rather, in a compelling essay in advance of the G20 Summit, he makes a more sophisticated argument for the world (not just the US and Europe) to invest in smarter, shared aid.

Among all the inquiries we’ve received about Creating Shared Value (CSV) during the last six months, the most curious have been from non-governmental organizations (NGOs). They wonder what CSV will mean to their fund-raising. There’s little risk that the $4 billion in corporate philanthropy, much of it directed to NGOs, will go away in the next few years. More important are the implications of Shared Value for NGOs’ programs. Increasingly, we’re seeing businesses reach out to NGOs as partners to enter a new market or reduce costs in their value chain. NGOs would be wise to seize this trend and change the way they look at business – less as generic donors and more as highly specific partners to scale their social impact ambitions.

While we write and speak about “better ways to solve social problems,” we rarely write about ourselves. Stack it up to our love of ideas or a dash of humility – we’re more likely to share the newest idea related to school turnaround than what goes on behind the scenes at FSG. Yet, one of the questions I’m asked quite often by recruits, clients, and friends is: “what’s it like working at FSG?”