Do One Better with Alberto Lidji in Philanthropy, Sustainability and Social Entrepreneurship

Patrick Dunne, author of "Boards", joins host Alberto Lidji on the Do One Better Podcast for a timely conversation on how boards can become more effective, more agile and more valuable. Drawing on the third edition of his book "Boards", Patrick explores how governance is changing in a world shaped by AI, faster decision making, dynamic strategy, rising uncertainty and more complex risk. He looks a...

Rachel Kolisi returns to the Do One Better Podcast for a candid and deeply reflective conversation with host Alberto Lidji about philanthropy, resilience, and the launch of the Falling Forward Foundation in South Africa. Since her previous appearance on the podcast, Rachel’s life and work have changed significantly. Having co-founded the Kolisi Foundation and led major impact work, she now enters...

In this episode of the Do One Better Podcast, Alberto Lidji speaks with David Mozersky, President and Co-Founder of Energy Peace Partners, about the connection between renewable energy and peacebuilding in fragile and conflict-affected countries. David explains how some of the least electrified countries in the world are also among the most affected by conflict and climate vulnerability. From Sout...

In this episode of the Do One Better Podcast, Alberto Lidji speaks with Chris Sherwood, Chief Executive Officer of the NSPCC (National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children), one of the United Kingdom's most respected and influential child protection charities. As technology continues to reshape childhood, Chris explores the urgent challenges facing children and young people online, fr...

Collaborative philanthropy is emerging as one of the most promising innovations in modern giving. In this episode of the Do One Better Podcast, host Alberto Lidji is joined by three leading voices in collaborative philanthropy: Alison Powell, Partner at The Bridgespan Group and leader of its Collaborative Philanthropy practice; Kimberly Dasher Tripp, Founder of Strategy for Scale; and Neha Dalal,...

Heart and circulatory diseases remain among the world's leading causes of death, yet scientific progress is accelerating at an extraordinary pace. In this episode of the Do One Better Podcast, Alberto Lidji speaks with Charmaine Griffiths, Chief Executive of the British Heart Foundation, about the opportunities and challenges shaping the future of cardiovascular health. Charmaine shares how the Br...

With an endowment exceeding $14 billion and annual grantmaking of roughly $600 to $700 million, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation occupies a distinctive position in global philanthropy: large enough to shape conversations, yet intentionally focused on convening expertise, supporting long-term thinking, and backing institutions working on society’s most complex challenges. In this episode, A...

What does thoughtful philanthropy look like when the ambition is to deploy $6 billion over the next 35 years in support of girls’ education? In this episode of the Do One Better Podcast, Alberto Lidji speaks with Dana Schmidt, Program Director at Echidna Giving, about the realities of large-scale grantmaking, the responsibility that comes with stewarding significant philanthropic capital, and why...

Nicole Taylor, President and CEO of the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, joins Alberto Lidji to explore the evolving landscape of modern philanthropy through the lens of the world’s largest community foundation. The conversation examines how donor advised funds (DAFs) are reshaping giving across generations, from ultra high net worth philanthropists to everyday donors seeking meaningful impact...

Sustainability has shifted from corporate aspiration to financial reality, but how do companies actually measure its impact on value creation? In this episode, Alberto Lidji speaks with Michel Driessen about the evolving relationship between sustainability, ESG, corporate finance, and mergers and acquisitions. Drawing from the themes explored in Green Gold: How Sustainability Creates Deal Value, M...

In this episode of the Do One Better Podcast, Alberto Lidji speaks with Professor Jennifer Davidson, Executive Director of the Institute for Inspiring Children’s Futures at the University of Strathclyde. The conversation examines how global coalitions, governments, and communities can work together to better uphold children’s rights. Professor Davidson outlines the Institute’s mission to bridge re...

In this episode of the Do One Better Podcast, Alberto Lidji speaks with Emily Teitsworth, Executive Director of the Honnold Foundation, about a powerful and often overlooked approach to climate philanthropy. Founded by professional climber Alex Honnold, the Honnold Foundation focuses on expanding access to solar energy in underserved communities around the world. But its impact goes far beyond cle...

In this episode of the Do One Better Podcast, host Alberto Lidji speaks with Irene Pritzker, Chair and Co-Founder of the IDP Foundation and author of The School in the Market. The conversation explores how innovative financing models can expand access to quality education in underserved communities, with a focus on Ghana and Kenya. Pritzker shares the origin story behind the foundation’s work, whi...

Partnership is often spoken about as an ideal. Much more rarely is it treated as a discipline. In this episode Alberto Lidji speaks with Darian Stibbe, Executive Director of The Partnering Initiative, about what it takes to build collaborations that are not only well intentioned, but genuinely effective. At a time when the world’s most pressing challenges demand coordinated action across sectors,...

What does it take to develop resilient nonprofit leaders, and why does that matter so much today? In this episode of the Do One Better Podcast, Alberto Lidji speaks with Madge Thomas, President of the American Express Foundation, about how the Foundation is investing in people, communities, and institutions to drive meaningful, long-term social impact. With a legacy spanning more than 50 years, th...

Dementia has long been viewed as an inevitable part of ageing. That perception is now being challenged at its core. This conversation with Hilary Evans-Newton CBE, Chief Executive of Alzheimer’s Research UK, explores a pivotal shift in how we understand, diagnose and ultimately treat the diseases that cause dementia. At the centre of this transformation is Alzheimer’s Research UK, the leading deme...

What if a university degree did not require stepping away from work, taking on significant debt, or leaving one’s community? What if the workplace itself became the campus? Joe Ross, President of Reach University, joins us to share his insight. This episode explores a different model of higher education that seeks to turn jobs into degrees rather than degrees into jobs. The approach centres on app...

What does it take to deliver high quality medical care in the middle of war, displacement and disaster? We gain a behind the scenes understanding from Chris Lockyear, Secretary General of Doctors Without Borders / Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). This conversation offers a rare look inside one of the world’s most recognised humanitarian medical organisations and the complex system that allows it to...

This episode explores how sustained scientific ambition, backed by flexible philanthropy, has helped transform HIV from a fatal diagnosis into a manageable condition and why the search for a cure remains both urgent and achievable. At the centre of the conversation is the work of amfAR and its distinctive role in advancing research that changes lives far beyond a single disease area. Founded in th...

In this episode, Nathan Atkinson, Co-Founder of Rethink Food in the UK, shares a deeply grounded perspective on hunger, education and systemic change, shaped by a decade spent leading schools in some of England’s most disadvantaged communities. Nathan traces the origins of Rethink Food back to a defining moment as a headteacher, when a school kitchen breakdown revealed the hidden scale of child hu...

Larry Cooley joins us to explore how to achieve sustainable impact at meaningful scale. As co-founder of the Scaling Community of Practice, Larry has spent more than two decades examining why promising innovations so often fail to reach the scale required to address global problems. Drawing on 50 years of experience, from his early work as a Peace Corps volunteer to senior roles advising governmen...

A deep dive into how philanthropy in Asia is evolving, and how the next generation of leaders is being prepared to make it more effective, collaborative and impactful. In this conversation with Brian Sen, Secretary General of the Institute of Philanthropy in Hong Kong, the discussion explores why the Institute was created, what it means to be a “thinking, funding and doing” tank, and how it is wor...

What if the biggest barrier to education is not poverty, infrastructure, or even access but low expectations of what children can achieve? In this conversation, Caitlin Baron shares how the Luminos Fund is proving that children who have never been to school can master foundational literacy and numeracy at extraordinary speed when the right conditions are in place. We hear how Luminos works with 10...

Nick Temple returns to discuss how Social Investment Business has evolved from a specialist social lender into a major player in grant delivery, programme management, and impact-driven finance across the UK. At the heart of the conversation is what it takes to turn strategy into action. Nick reflects on the realities of running large-scale, complex programmes, the importance of pace in a turbulent...

Peggy Dulany is a philanthropist, member of the Rockefeller family and the Founder and Chair of Synergos, a global nonprofit dedicated to advancing social change through collaboration and systems leadership. In this episode of the Do One Better Podcast, Peggy joins host Alberto Lidji for a thoughtful conversation on what it takes to address complex social challenges in an increasingly interconnect...