In reflecting on my last ten years working in Vietnam, I would like to say confidently that I was practicing community philanthropy, but I was never certain of that assertion. When I first learned about the concept, I was convinced that it was important and I sought to practice community philanthropy. Yet, at the same time, I’ve been trying to gain a firm grasp of what it means to be a community philanthropy organization and how the concept is applied and might be evaluated in our day-to-day work. My introduction to community philanthropy dates back to June 2008, when an advisor...

    Many people I speak to in international NGOs (INGOs) feel very acutely the value drift between what they are committed to and the climate in which they work each day. At best, much of their time seems to be consumed with the bureaucracy of aid, at worst, the environment they work in is toxic. Meanwhile grassroots initiatives are starved of resources by the very institutions that were established to work towards a better world and, as development language and practice have become ever more professionalized there is a sense of moving further and further away from relationships and practices that prioritize...