Center for Social Innovation

Published: June 13, 2009 Download  32 minutes, 14.8mb, recorded 2009-04-06

Jacqueline Novogratz has been working with the poor in Africa and Asia for more than 20 years, and that experience has shown her that patient capital is more effective than markets or philanthropy alone. In this audio interview with host Sheela Sethuraman, Novogratz shares some of her experiences and lessons learned for the field of international development. She advocates that business models are more sustainable than charity because they can sustain themselves and foster a sense of ownership and pride among the economically disadvantaged.

Jacqueline Novogratz is founder and CEO of Acumen Fund. Prior to starting Acumen, she worked at the Rockefeller Foundation, where she created and directed The Philanthropy Workshop and The Next Generation Leadership program. Novogratz has also worked at the Joyce Mertz-Gilmore Foundation, and has served as a consultant to UNICEF and the World Bank in various African countries. She helped found a micro-finance institution for women in Rwanda and began her career in international banking with Chase Manhattan Bank. Novogratz holds an MBA from Stanford and a BA from the University of Virginia. She shares her years of direct experience in her recently published book The Blue Sweater: Bridging the Gap Between Rich and Poor in an Interconnected World.

Resources

• Acumen Fund
• The Funding Gap, a Stanford Social Innovation Review article (subscription required)
• Microfinance Misses Its Mark, a Stanford Social Innovation Review article