Back to resources

Making a difference

Strategic Philanthropy | Mar 20, 2006

In the non-profit sector, we are often asked questions about outlays and outcomes. Funding agencies, government,
the media and our partners demand to know what exactly we have achieved. Gone are the days when you could claim
to wipe the brows of the sick, feed the hungry and shelter the homeless. These are ‘band-aid’ solutions. The big donors have understood that there is not much future in sponsoring such activities.

View PDF

More like this

Strategic Philanthropy  |  Civil Society

Comments at SVP, Kolkata 3rd Anniversary Meet

This is an edited version of Rohini Nilekani’s comments at SVP’s 3rd Anniversary Meet in Kolkata. My Journey to Structured Philanthropy I have been on my philanthropic journey for about three decades now. When I look back at it now, I think the real journey started much before, with my ancestors, because it is what […]
Apr 5, 2021 |

Accountability & Transparency  |  Strategic Philanthropy

To fail is to have dared | IDR Failure Files

Philanthropist, author, and former journalist Rohini Nilekani speaks to India Development Review (IDR) co-founder and CEO, Smarinita Shetty, on why failure needs to be underwritten in the social sector, and how philanthropists must develop more patience and create a space that normalises failure in the context of nonprofit work. You can listen to the full […]
Oct 15, 2021 |

Strategic Philanthropy

Love, not log frames

Gautam John, Director of Strategy, Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies, on how philanthropy needs an overhaul, from narrow illusions of control to promoting empathy and agency. We will likely remember 2020 for three things. The year the phrase ‘you are on mute’ went mainstream. The year we want to forget, and not view in hindsight. And the […]
Jan 14, 2021 |

Strategic Philanthropy  |  Access to Justice

Rohini Nilekani | Casual Conversations with Citizens

This is an edited version of Rohini Nilekani’s conversation with Gopal Sankaranarayanan, as part of the Casual Conversations with Citizens series. Rohini shares her experiences of life and encounters with the law, rights, and most importantly, her ideas of justice. I grew up in a fairly middle class household in Mumbai, and my parents wanted […]
May 31, 2020 |