Greenwich, CT. Have you ever felt that nagging question: Did I donate to a bad charity???? The short answer is probably not. This question came up because a good friend stopped by a Cambodian NGO fundraiser recently and left a check for $500. They were surprised not to see me at this fundraiser; they know I […]
Fifty Lessons Learned from Decade in International Development

New York, N.Y. The purpose of the symposium was to train and support the next generation of progressive political entrepreneurs. Mark Green‘s former campaign staffer Keith Dumanski had recommended me to the New York Director of the NLC, Daniel Getman, and here I was: ready to give life lessons. An awkward thought crossed my mind […]
Fifty Lessons Learned from a Decade of Service in International Development

New York, N.Y. I recently had the honor of addressing the Fellows of the New York City New Leaders Council (NLC) as part of their 2010 Institute. Other presenters included Jeffrey Plaut, founding partner of the Global Strategies Group, Elizabeth Caputo, chair of theDemocratic Leadership for the 21st Century, and Stephanie Berger, president of Berger-Hirschberg Strategies in Washington. My own […]
U.N. Blue Helmets from Sri Lanka Come to Our Assistance in Haiti

Leogane, Haiti. Another early day here in Leogane, Haiti — epicenter of the earthquake — for our international NGO post-disaster relief team. I brief the team over breakfast at 7am and by 8am we are at the U.N. Coordinating Committee compound to continue our introduction to them. Known as “OCHA,” this U.N. branch is connecting the […]
New York Times Essay: First One Orphan, Then Many More

New York, N.Y. The United States has plenty of affluent do-gooders who are taken with the idea that with their experience and creativity they could harness expertise and money to better the lives of people in the developing world. . I know now, seven years after founding my own global charitable organization, that this is […]