Rohini Nilekani Quotes

I think all philanthropy invests in product innovation, whether in a vaccine or a new kind of product of one sort or another, and I think we'll all continue to do that.

It is important to view philanthropic ventures with an eye for business.

I am convinced that only by applying the values of an entrepreneur to philanthropy will you ever be able to meet the needs of the greatest number of people.

There are three lessons in philanthropy - one, involve the family, especially the spouse. She can be a remarkable driver of your initiative. Two, you need to build an institution, and you need to scale it up. Choose a leader for philanthropy whom you trust. Three, philanthropy needs patience, tenacity and time.

You can invest in companies, you can help grow companies, you can be a venture capitalist - and be a philanthropist at the same time.

I don't know if people understand that there are different ways to raise money for great causes.

I always had the old-school model that I'm going to work for as long as I'm relevant and focus on for-profit activities and someday when I retire I'm going to learn about philanthropy.

If you are wealthy enough, use part or all of your Social Security proceeds to invest in a favorite cause or two. Invest 10 percent or 100 percent of your monthly Social Security check in your favorite charity, foundation, think tank, church or synagogue, or other good cause.

Social activism has gone mainstream. A new generation of philanthropic leaders such as Bill and Melinda Gates, and Bono are providing inspiration, guidance, and billions of dollars through their global foundations.

I would like philanthropists to take more risks and invest more in risk capital.

I would say to young entrepreneurs and budding philanthropists - are you giving to feel good or do good?

Everyone says you've got to do a foundation and legal structure to finance social change. What nonsense!

When people make donations to non profits, they want to know that their money goes to good use.

In the same way that you're driven in your business to keep innovating - Facebook is a wonderful example of constant innovation - think about doing that in philanthropy.

Large-scale philanthropy, based in the private - not the public - sector, is a relatively recent historical development.

We've already gotten a significant grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and a university consortium. I think the whole sector of Foundations, potentially with government support, is promising - more than promising, I think, it's substantial.

I believe my business and non-profit investments are much more beneficial to societal well-being than sending more money to Washington.

There is a natural link between the effective running of my businesses and the effective direction of philanthropic funds. I apply business principles to my philanthropic work so that maximum value is given to the causes I support.

The future of TOMS is really creating a whole new business model of this one-for-one giving and expanding the TOMS model from shoes into other products as well.

I always thought that I would spend the first half of my life making money so I can spend the second half of my life giving it all away. And one of the defining moments of my life was when I realized that I could do both at the same time with TOMS.

We have a new generation of very rich people who want to do more with their money than buy a lot of expensive toys. They want to live meaningful lives.

How I see my career is very much as an entrepreneur in the field of philanthropy.

When I started teaching at Stanford Graduate School of Business in 2000, no field-based courses in strategic philanthropy existed.

Philanthropy should be taking much bigger risks that business. If these are easy problems, business and government can come in and solve them.

Effective philanthropy requires a lot of time and creativity - the same kind of focus and skills that building a business requires.