Podcast "Philanthropy in question(s)" - Episode 40
How to assess the credibility of entrepreneurial projects with a social mission?
This is the question faced by impact investors seeking to support entrepreneurial projects aiming to generate a positive social impact.
In this 40th episode, Arthur Gautier presents an article by Guillaume Dumont published in 2024 and entitled “Evaluating the Credibility of Entrepreneurs’ Impact Promises in Early-Stage Impact Investing”.
Guillaume Dumont draws on his ethnographic research in a Barcelona-based impact investment fund to provide key insights into how these organizations make their investment decisions.
Arthur Gautier presents the main ideas of Guillaume Dumont's article:
At the heart of the debate between funders and grantees is the question of the impact promises' credibility.
Four dimensions are examined by funders in this respect.
Proving one's willingness to measure impact ends up being even more important than the indicators themselves
➡️ Listen to the episode above to find out more!
🔹 Dumont, G. (2023). Immersion in Organizational Ethnography: Four Methodological Requirements to Immerse Oneself in the Field. Organizational Research Methods, 26(3), 441–458.
🔹 Dumont, G. (2024). Impact Work: An Ethnographic Journey into the Making of Impact Entrepreneurship. Palgrave Macmillan.
🔹 Muller, A. R., Pfarrer, M. D., & Little, L. M. (2014). A Theory of Collective Empathy in Corporate Philanthropy Decisions. Academy of Management Review, 39(1), 1–21.
🔹 Elsbach, K. D., & Kramer, R. M. (2003). Assessing Creativity in Hollywood Pitch Meetings: Evidence for a Dual-Process Model of Creativity Judgments. Academy of Management Journal, 46(3), 283–301.
A critical look at evaluations (Liket, Rey-Garcia, Maas)
Trust-based philanthropy (Marie-Stéphane Maradeix)
The limits of reporting in the non-profit sector (Julie Rouault, Elisabeth Albertini)
Every last Wednesday of the month, in an episode of about 10 minutes, we share the discoveries of a researcher on philanthropy in France or internationally, all disciplines included. The goal? To give research a place in everyday life, to contribute to critical thinking and to shed light on societal issues through the prism of philanthropy. Dive with us into the heart of research on giving!
Based on interviews with philanthropists and professionals in the philanthropy sector, this podcast from the ESSEC Philanthropy Chair introduces you to the 5 key dimensions of philanthropy strategy: value, logical framework, style, time horizon and vehicle. The embodiment of the learnings from the book Towards Strategic Philanthropy published by Peter Frumkin, Anne-Claire Pache and Arthur Gautier at Odile Jacob in 2020. To your headphones!
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