Global Development

The research, insights, and advice shared here are intended to help philanthropies and nonprofit organizations maximize the impact of their efforts in helping improve the lives of disadvantaged populations outside of the US.

Featured Content

Stop Starving Scale: Unlocking the Potential of Global NGOs

Generous funders have fueled the spectacular growth of global NGOs in recent years. But the money comes with strings that thwart these organizations’ ability to create the platforms for scale needed to solve global problems.

Ten Thousand Strong

This case study from Business Strategy Review shares five key lessons from the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women initiative to create an effective performance measurement approach and shows why signature philanthropic initiatives should build measurement into their programs from Day 1.

Measurement as Learning: What Nonprofit CEOs, Board Members, and Philanthropists Need to Know to Keep Improving

Measurement has become an increasingly hot topic as more funders want to know how their money is being used and as nonprofits undertake evaluations to prove that their programs work. But one of the most important uses of measurement is to improve performance, or performance measurement.

Insights and Advice

Getting Clear, Real and Better

Philanthropists and their organizations are becoming increasingly committed to investing money strategically, measuring the results of their giving and adjusting course to increase their impact. Put another way, they are getting clear about what success looks like for their investments, getting real about what it takes to make change happen and committed to getting better over time.

Growing Global NGOs Effectively

Most NGOs grapple with the challenge of balancing expansion and organizational coher­ence. This article published in Monday Developments Magazine shares the stories of a number of global NGOs that have addressed this challenge and have effectively grown their organizations.

Three Cases of Better Corporate Philanthropy

This giving season often brings a focus on corporate philanthropy. But it's hard to do well. In this Harvard Business Review blog, Bridgespan Partner Jeri Eckhart-Queenan and Michael Etzel, a case team leader at Bridgespan, share the stories of three corporate leaders that are realizing their goals for social impact by applying the same discipline to their charitable works as they do their core businesses.

Goldman Sachs: 10,000 Women Initiative

Goldman Sachs' five-year, $100 million philanthropic initiative to provide practical business and management education to 10,000 women around the globe celebrated its first anniversary in 2009 with over 1,200 women enrolled in or graduated from sponsored certificate programs. This Harvard Business School case describes the conception, development, and implementation of the initiative and outlines some key strategic decisions facing the firm as they roll-out the program over the coming years. (Payment is required to read the full case.)