Digital Archive....

M-KESHO in Kenya: A new step for M-PESA and mobile banking Financial Access Initiative Blog *This post is part of a "before and after" series on a Gates Foundation-sponsored visit to Kenya that Jonathan Morduch and others participated in. M-PESA, a successful mobile payments service in Kenya, is already demonstrating how m-payments can successfully expand the range of financial options available to poor households.  Earlier this month, the Gates Foundation took several microfinance experts to Kenya, including Bob Cull; FAI's Dean Karlan and Jonathan Morduch; David Roodman; Stuart Rutherford and Dean Yang, to learn about M-PESA first hand. And while we were there, M-PESA announced some big news:  finally, M-PESA is connecting with banks in Kenya. And with a big bang too, as two big players in the financial inclusion scene in Kenya are joining forces: Safaricom (the mobile operator behind M-PESA) and Equity Bank are launching M-KESHO, a co-brande...

The Problem with Fair Trade Coffee SSIR Articles Peter Giuliano is in many ways the model of a Fair Trade coffee advocate. He began his career as a humble barista, worked his way up the ladder, and in 1995 co-founded Counter Culture Coffee, a wholesale roasting and coffee education enterprise in Durham, N.C. In his role as the green coffee buyer, Giuliano has developed close working relationships with farmers throughout the coffee-growing world, traveling extensively to Latin America, Indonesia, and Africa. He has been active for more than a decade in the Specialty Coffee Association of America, the world's largest coffee trade association, and currently serves as its president. Giuliano originally embraced the Fair Trade-certification model—which pays producers an above-market "fair trade" price provided they meet specific labor, environmental, and production standards—because he believed it was the best way to empower growers and drive the sustai...

The case for mission investing Philanthropy Journal - All Articles Through mission investing, foundations can put their assets to work on behalf of their mission, without necessarily sacrificing the financial returns they need for long-term stability. read more Sent with Reeder  

Eliminating the Charitable Deduction: The End of the World as We Know It, and I Feel Fine SSIR Opinion & Analysis As governments at all levels scramble for resources, the idea of eliminating the charitable deduction from the income tax code has begun to attract support. Many people who work in nonprofits say this would damage the sector, because people would be less inclined to give and those who did give would give less. Let's assume this is true (though Americans' passion for voluntary organizations long predates the tax code—Tocqueville, anyone?). Is the health of "the sector" really the relevant concern? It may be that people will give less to their churches or alma maters or prestige arts organizations if deprived of a tax benefit for doing so. But that money will be in the public treasury, where it will go for health care and education and environmental protection (and even a pittance for the arts). So wouldn't the goals of nonp...