Earlier this year Brookings released Making Poverty History? How Activists, Philanthropists, and the Public are Changing Global Development, a report based on the Brookings Blum Roundtable 2007.  While it contains much of interest, one item immediately catches the eye: in 2005, private philanthropic giving for international causes was roughly equal to official development assistance (ODA) from “traditional” donors (i.e., governments).

 

Certainly the Gates Foundation, with its enormous asset base and focus on global health and development, has played a role in boosting the private giving numbers.  But as the report so ably highlights, reducing global poverty has become “hot,” capturing the attention of many new philanthropists and celebrities, and igniting a mass of talent eager to “make poverty history.” 

 

What do all this attention and newly varied capital environment mean for NGOs?  What are the challenges of balancing an ever-varying donor base and the expectations of these new actors?  Might it change the ability of NGOs to give voice to the poor?  Interesting questions.  More to come.