Publications

24 Apr 2014
News

Applying business practices to grassroots philanthropy

Andrea Chemayeff (MBA 1998) talks about applying business skills to her work providing food and coats for the needy through the Bridgeport Rescue Mission in Connecticut. (Published April 2014) View Details

21 Apr 2014
News

Spirit of philanthropy advances Executive Education

During his 50-year career, Tata Group chairman emeritus Ratan Tata (AMP 71, 1975) has become one of India’s most respected business leaders. As head of the Tata Trusts, he is also a champion of philanthropic efforts supporting educational programs, social and community... View Details

05 Feb 2014
News

Norway's Ringnes Blends Philanthropy and Art

Keywords: Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions; Arts, Entertainment

April 1996 (Revised May 1996)
Background Note

The Social Enterprise Spectrum: Structuring Social-Purpose Ventures: From Philanthropy to Commerce

With the boundaries between philanthropy and commerce blurring, this note briefly gives nonprofit managers and social entrepreneurs a framework (the Social Enterprise Spectrum) for thinking creatively about structural options in the social sector. View Details

Keywords: Social Entrepreneurship

September 2018 (Revised March 2019)
Case

Philanthropy and Brand Building: Jeff Vinik and the Tampa Bay Lightning

By: Stephen A. Greyser and Michael Mondello

Owner Jeff Vinik and top management of the NHL Tampa Bay Lightning are reviewing their strategy and progress in achieving their goals of brand-building and community commitment. Strategic philanthropy is unusual in sport. Tampa Bay is historically a non-traditional... View Details

Keywords: Brands and Branding; Philanthropy and Charitable Giving; Business and Community Relations; Sports Industry; Tampa

February 7, 2013
Other Article

Is Doing Good ‘Good Enough’?: Unleashing the Power of Self-Interest in Philanthropy

By: Josh Baron

To take advantage of the unprecedented opportunities for philanthropy to make a difference in society, we have to encourage people to think more consciously and creatively about: "What's in this for me?" View Details

Keywords: Motivation and Incentives; Philanthropy and Charitable Giving

Read Now

January 2024 (Revised August 2024)
Case

Essex County Community Foundation: Pivot to Systems Philanthropy

By: V. Kasturi Rangan, Brian Trelstad and Courtney Han

2023 marked five years of the Essex County Community Foundation (ECCF)’s “systems philanthropy” approach to grantmaking. Located in northeastern Massachusetts, the community foundation served 800,000 residents across 34 cities and towns that varied widely by... View Details

Keywords: Philanthropy and Charitable Giving; Reputation; Civil Society or Community; Social Issues; Alignment; Nonprofit Organizations; Business and Stakeholder Relations; Collaborative Innovation and Invention; Leading Change; Massachusetts

06 May 2013
Research & Ideas

How Local Events Shake Up Corporate Philanthropy

Philanthropy in US Communities, which was published in the March issue of Administrative Science Quarterly. The study adds to a growing line of academic research highlighting the importance of a firm's main location, even in an era of... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

15 Jun 2021
News

Alumni Work to Reverse Bias Through Philanthropy

hard—urgent calls for a long-overdue racial reckoning are inspiring innovative approaches to exposing and ending structural inequities in business and society. Two new ventures led by HBS alumni are leveraging the power of philanthropy in... View Details

Keywords: Deborah Blagg

25 Aug 2016
News

Bloomberg Philanthropies and Harvard University Launch Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative

TeachingInterests

Short Intensive Program (SIP): Effective Strategic Philanthropy

By: Brian L. Trelstad

Non-profit organizations and social enterprises play an important role in every country in the world: as laboratories for social innovation, as the delivery system for critical goods and services at scale, as the stewards of our cultural heritage, and as advocates for... View Details

06 May 2013
News

How Local Events Shake Up Corporate Philanthropy

24 Apr 2014
News

Building a better India through business and philanthropy

Known for understanding opportunities ahead of the curve, Ajay Piramal (AMP 110, 1992) led his family’s business away from textiles to pharmaceuticals in the 1980s. “Our guiding principle has been to build businesses that deliver long-term value for our stakeholders,”... View Details

24 Apr 2014
News

An agent for change through investing and philanthropy

Jim Alexandre (MBA 1983), a private equity specialist, talks about how he is an agent for change through his investments and his personal philanthropy. (Published April 2014) View Details

19 Dec 2023
News

$15 Billion in Five Years: What Data Tells Us About MacKenzie Scott’s Philanthropy

24 Jan 2013
Working Paper Summaries

Punctuated Generosity: How Mega-events and Natural Disasters Affect Corporate Philanthropy in US Communities

Keywords: by András Tilcsik & Christopher Marquis

2005
Chapter

Philanthropy vs. National Security: Should CARE Criticize the Military?

By: Arthur C. Brooks

Find at Harvard

March 2020 (Revised June 2022)
Case

GreenLight Fund

By: Brian Trelstad, Julia Kelley and Mel Martin

As Tara Noland, the Executive Director (ED) of GreenLight Cincinnati, reflected on her first few years on the job. Noland had delivered on what she had been hired to do in the city: work with leading philanthropists and nonprofit executives to use data and evidence to... View Details

Keywords: Philanthropy; Venture Philanthropy; Replication; Philanthropy and Charitable Giving; Venture Capital; Social Issues; Decision Making; Analytics and Data Science; Cincinnati