Bill Drayton Article In Alliance June 2007

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news from around the world

Opinion

Bill Drayton

왘 When one or several people get together to provide a service or cause a change, they instantly are citizens in the fullest sense of the word. The active Alliance and all of us in its ingredient in the sector is community could make an important these citizens. difference by determinedly moving to use the phrases ‘citizen sector’, 왘 As important as the announced purpose of each ‘citizen organization’ and ‘citizen such intervention is, we movement’ – and by rigorously editing out the use of believe that there is a second ‘non-profit’ and ‘NGO’ and their variants – in all our impact that is actually, communications. especially for social ne cannot constructively or entrepreneurs and at this effectively define anything historic turning point, more Bill Drayton is CEO by what it is not. Moreover, by and Chair, Ashoka. important. They are role calling us ‘non-government’, Email wdrayton@ models for and mass recruiters ashoka.org one suggests a conflict with of many, many changemakers. government that is not and To succeed, every social certainly should not be there. entrepreneur must disrupt Similarly ‘non-profit’ suggests, the old ways (Schumpeterian at best, foreignness to the creative destruction) and business reader. encourage local people to Why are we actively advocating stand up and seize the the substitution of ‘citizen entrepreneur’s idea and run sector/organization/movement’? with it in community after There are two reasons: community after community.

Words matter

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EVPA membership passes 50 mark The European Venture Philanthropy Association (EVPA), formed in 2005, now has over 50 members and associate members. Those members come from 14 countries and represent a wide variety of organizations and individuals. Recently recruited members include venture philanthropy organizations in the Netherlands and France, European private equity firms or their foundations, and philanthropists based in Norway and Israel.

embers also include social enterprise groups, universities and professional services firms. The idea is that EVPA should appeal equally to groups looking to use their philanthropic resources more

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Alliance Volume 12 Number 2 June 2007 www.alliancemagazine.org

This role modelling and this ploughing and seeding are essential to the transition the world is entering and must quickly go through – from the world of small elites to one where, as much as possible, everyone is a changemaker. The New York Times is increasingly using the ‘citizen’ formulation. Surely the Alliance community should be leading, not lagging, the New York Times! Words are important. EDITOR’S NOTE

At present Alliance policy is to accept authors’ choices of terms rather than imposing our own. I would very much welcome readers’ views as to whether we should take a more proactive stance, as suggested by Bill Drayton. Please send your comments to [email protected]

effectively and to groups that see the value of networking and sharing experiences and are interested in exploring the ways in which different types of organization can work together.

Among its other services, EVPA publishes a quarterly newsletter and a European Venture Philanthropy Directory which gives contact details and profiles for all its members.

EVPA sees its role as threefold: to promote venture philanthropy by bringing in new participants, ideas and capital; to provide a networking platform for venture philanthropy across all European countries; and to set up working groups to address issues such as measuring and increasing the impact of venture philanthropy and identifying social enterprises with the potential to contribute significantly to the solution of major problems.

EVPA’s second annual conference in Paris in September last year attracted 271 delegates from 21 countries and a similar turnout is anticipated at this year’s conference, to be held in Madrid on 25 October. For more information www.evpa.eu.com For further details and an invitation to the Madrid conference contact [email protected]