Calling all CEOs: Go Boldly to Find New, Creative Ways to Meet Societal Needs

Geoff Mulgan, director of the Young Foundation was the keynote speaker during the CEO and Trustee Summit in Washington on 4 May 2008. He discussed the importance of blending pragmatism and risk-taking, challenging the foundation CEOs and trustees present to be bold, creative, and invest in new ways to meet society's pressing needs. "If you see a problem, your first duty is to act-not tell others to act,"Mulgan told the audience.

Urging foundations to be doers rather than only funders, Mulgan offered the following advice: don't be afraid of innovation, work with humility but then move to analysis and data, collaborate with entities in other countries, and take the long view ("what would you wish you would have done years from now?"). "This is the best time to be in philanthropy,"Mulgan said, "with more resources and money than any time in history."

Follow this link to visit the events report on the summit.