Pooled Funds as a Tool for Achieving Collaborative Philanthropy Goals

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With less than 10 years to reach global commitments to the SDG goals and with a recovery from a global pandemic to tackle, philanthropy is needed more than ever yet no one organization can change the existing status quo or achieve the scale of impact that is truly needed. This is where collaborative philanthropy can make a difference. Collaboration is an emerging trend in Asian philanthropy and with a growing and diversifying philanthropic environment, cross-sector, multi-stakeholder collaboration at scale is becoming a growing movement in Asia.

A collaborative approach necessitates that philanthropists and philanthropic organizations rally around a shared aim, which results in not only pooling resources to support integrated solutions to problems at scale. This enables philanthropic collaboratives to, through the sum of their parts, develop more effective solutions to address complex problems. AVPN is leading the way in Asia with 2 philanthropic funds that we have launched recently.

This session will explore the power of collaborative philanthropy through sharing how AVPN bought together this Philanthropic Pooled Fund – backed by a diverse group of funders. It illustrates how a pooled fund can be created with expediency to quickly and effectively scale and achieve solutions and outcomes for the long term, as is being demonstrated by our current pooled fund addressing issues with respect to healthcare delivery systems in SE Asia.

Key Objectives

• Gain an understanding of how collaborative efforts can be utilised to maximise the impact of philanthropic capital
• Explore how the pooled funds can be leveraged as a tool for collaboration to achieve philanthropic goals as a family office
• Understand the process, metrics and performance measurement tools used to evaluate suitable partners for funding

	Susan Clear Regional Head – Asia, Macquarie Group Foundation Susan oversees Macquarie Group Foundation initiatives across Asia, a region with 3,500 staff in 14 locations in 11 markets. Susan is passionate about leveraging skills to support community initiatives, and leads a diverse range of activities including Macquarie’s regional strategic grant portfolio, skills-based volunteering and employee engagement programs. The wider regional grant portfolio, including CSR contributions in India, focuses on better financial outcomes for vulnerable migrant workers, as a means to prevent modern slavery. Beyond strategic grant partners, Susan is a relationship manager with three of Macquarie’s five 50th Anniversary Award winners, and nine Asia-based projects funded through Macquarie’s COVID-19 A$20m Fund. Prior to joining Macquarie, Susan worked at PwC and her experience also includes work in the non-profit and government sectors, in Sydney, Canberra, Beijing and Hong Kong. She is a conversational Mandarin and Danish speaker, holds a Masters in Corporate Environmental Governance from the University of Hong Kong and a Bachelor of Business from the University of Technology, Sydney. Externally, Susan serves on the Board of Hong Kong Dignity Institute, and is an advisor to FREO2, a charity committed to providing oxygen where it’s needed most. Prior to her current role, Susan worked in Marketing & Communications at PwC, raising awareness and engagement of PwC’s Corporate Responsibility, as well as broader internal communications. Susan’s experience also includes work in the non-profit and government sectors, in Sydney, Canberra, Beijing and Hong Kong. She is a conversational Mandarin and Danish speaker, and holds a Bachelor of Business from the University of Technology, Sydney.
	Sarah Jeffery Head of Health, Vitol Foundation, Vitol Group  Sarah has managed and directed all aspects of the health portfolio at the Vitol Foundation since 2014 supporting health NGOs and social enterprises globally. The Vitol Foundation invests globally and independently from the Vitol Group. We provide flexible funding (grants, loans, equity) as well as non-financial support (e.g. technical assistance, networking, governance, strategy and others) to non-profits and for-profits with potential for significant social, economic and environmental impact and scale. In 2021, outside of the AVPN pooled fund initiative, the Vitol Foundation has supported regional health focused organisations in Cambodia, India, Nepal, Bangladesh.  We support organisations that meet one of three pillars of the health strategy – access to care; health workforce development and system strengthening with an overarching focus on last mile healthcare access, mental health, adolescent health and sexual reproductive health. Prior to joining the Vitol Foundation Sarah worked in the non-profit sector from 2007 to 2014 supporting healthcare programmes predominantly in East Africa. She was a nurse in a previous lifetime and holds an MPH from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
	Martin Tan CEO, Majurity Trust Martin is the CEO of The Majurity Trust, a philanthropic organisation that works with donors and charities to build a thriving and sustainable community for all in Singapore. Martin currently serves on the Board of the National Council of Social Service, as well as Halogen Foundation Singapore, a charity which he co-founded in 2003. He was formerly Executive Director of Institute for Societal Leadership at Singapore Management University and also served on the Boards of National Youth Council, National Library Board and National Family Council. Martin works with leaders in the public, private and people sector in over 14 countries including Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, New Zealand, Southeast Asia, United Kingdom and the United States. For his contributions, Martin was awarded The Outstanding Young Person Award in 2008; inducted as Asia 21 Fellow in 2011; conferred the Singapore Youth Award in 2013; and appointed Global Council Member of Asia Society in 2019.
	Jasmine Chew Director, Products (Capital Mobilization), AVPN Jasmine leads the AVPN Capital Mobilization team, which helps funders strategically deploy their financial, intellectual and human capital into enterprises and not-for-profit organizations. Here her team’s initiatives include the AVPN Deal Share Platform, Showcase Sessions, Collaborative Circles, Philanthropic Funds, where she leads the design and implementation of funder-founder engagements and matchmaking initiatives. She also looks at Capital Mobilization’s strategic communications and collateral. Jasmine has completed her Bachelor’s degree from the National University of Singapore in Geography.

Caroline McLaughlin Chief Partnerships Officer, AVPN Caroline serves as the Chief Partnerships Office at Asian Venture Philanthropy Network (AVPN), Singapore where she has been working toward building a vibrant social investment and philanthropy ecosystem across Asia. Prior to that she spent 15 years creating and managing different networks across 5 continents. She was also one of the founders of the Ribbons of Hope, Invest in Women Foundation where she also served as Chairwoman and also currently serves on the Board of Governors of United World College SEA. Caroline has completed her undergraduate degree in Australia and holds an MBA from Insead.