Gayle Peterson - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Gayle Peterson

Research paper thumbnail of The World is Home: A Case Study of the Silicon Valley Community Foundation

Silicon Valley Community Foundation – together with pfc Social Impact Advisors – has published a ... more Silicon Valley Community Foundation – together with pfc Social Impact Advisors – has published a case study to commemorate SVCF's first 10 years. During this period, SVCF made more than $4.3 billion in grants and significantly expanded its charitable reach.The new report provides details about how Silicon Valley Community Foundation was formed in 2007 from the merger of Peninsula Community Foundation and Community Foundation Silicon Valley, and how it has grown to become the largest funder of Bay Area charities and the largest community foundation in the world.Following the historic merger of the two parent foundations, Silicon Valley Community Foundation began seeking public input on how it could best approach the challenges faced by the residents of Santa Clara and San Mateo counties. SVCF's discretionary grantmaking focus areas were announced in 2008, supporting local education, economic security, immigration and regional planning that improves transportation and housing ...

Research paper thumbnail of A systems model of using the Deliberate Leadership® framework for addressing wicked problems

International Journal of Business and Systems Research, Apr 16, 2018

Research paper thumbnail of The World is Home: A Case Study of the Silicon Valley Community Foundation

Silicon Valley Community Foundation – together with pfc Social Impact Advisors – has published a ... more Silicon Valley Community Foundation – together with pfc Social Impact Advisors – has published a case study to commemorate SVCF's first 10 years. During this period, SVCF made more than $4.3 billion in grants and significantly expanded its charitable reach.The new report provides details about how Silicon Valley Community Foundation was formed in 2007 from the merger of Peninsula Community Foundation and Community Foundation Silicon Valley, and how it has grown to become the largest funder of Bay Area charities and the largest community foundation in the world.Following the historic merger of the two parent foundations, Silicon Valley Community Foundation began seeking public input on how it could best approach the challenges faced by the residents of Santa Clara and San Mateo counties. SVCF's discretionary grantmaking focus areas were announced in 2008, supporting local education, economic security, immigration and regional planning that improves transportation and housing ...

Research paper thumbnail of A systems model of using the Deliberate Leadership® framework for addressing wicked problems

International Journal of Business and Systems Research, Apr 16, 2018

Research paper thumbnail of Three Community Feedback Tools for Impact Investors

Too often impact investors park customer insight at the door when focused on projects in poor com... more Too often impact investors park customer insight at the door when focused on projects in poor communities. These approaches can help them learn what their target consumers really want. <em>Part of a series produced for SSIR with the support of the Hewlett Foundation.</em>

Research paper thumbnail of Big Finance, Big Technology, Wicked Problems, and the World’s Poor

Palgrave Studies in Impact Finance, 2020

We begin this book by providing common definitions for the concepts that we will be discussing an... more We begin this book by providing common definitions for the concepts that we will be discussing and applying in our six chapters. Those definitions will help create a shared understanding of what we mean by Big Finance and Big Technology, and the emerging social finance movement within them. They will also help us to recognize the Wicked Problems inherent in the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and what makes them “wicked.” The growth and development of Big Finance and Big Tech has created bright new opportunities to support positive social change. However, there is also a dark side to technology and the Fourth Industrial Revolution that is inhabited by rising inequality, fractured social and political institutions, and accelerating climate change. The Wicked Problems framework offers leaders an approach to tackle the greatest challenges facing the most vulnerable people and our planet.

Research paper thumbnail of The Surround Sound of Technology as an Accelerator of Social Good

Palgrave Studies in Impact Finance, 2020

Social media, artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain technology, mobile technology, and fintech... more Social media, artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain technology, mobile technology, and fintech are just some of the technologies that have revolutionized the way that our society and institutions transact, interact, store data, and develop. In this chapter we discuss the promise and perils of technology as it relates to social impact and investing, including the myths and realities of sociotechnical implementation and the balance of rights.

Research paper thumbnail of From Theory to Practice

Palgrave Studies in Impact Finance, 2020

UBS and UBS Optimus Foundation UBS Group AG (UBS) is one of the world's largest financial institu... more UBS and UBS Optimus Foundation UBS Group AG (UBS) is one of the world's largest financial institutions, with US$3.2 trillion AUM encompassing the world's largest wealth manager, the largest bank in Switzerland, a specialized and successful investment bank, and a major asset management house (pfc social impact advisors 2018, p. 9). A public company incorporated under the laws of Switzerland, UBS is committed to creating a positive impact for its clients, employees, investors, and society (pfc social impact advisors 2018, p. 9). As of December 2017, UBS' sustainable investments accounted for more than a third of its total invested assets, amounting to 1.1 trillion Swiss Francs (CHF), about US$1.13 trillion (UBS AG, 2018). The Dow Jones Sustainability Indices confirmed UBS as the industry leader for the fourth year running in 2018 (pfc social impact advisors 2018, p. 9). UBS established UBS Optimus Foundation (UBSOF, Optimus, or Foundation) in 1999 as an independent charitable grantmaking organization. Its mission is to "ensure children are safe, healthy, educated, and ready for their future" (as cited in pfc social impact advisors 2018, p. 13). Headquartered in Switzerland, Optimus has staff in Hong Kong, the United Kingdom, Germany, and the United States and includes two additional legal entities, UBS Optimus Foundation Deutschland and UBS Optimus Foundation United Kingdom; a donation platform through a

Research paper thumbnail of Wicked Problems and Deliberate Leadership: Finding True North

Research paper thumbnail of Moral Money: Do No Harm in Social Investing

This chapter examines ways harm can be done and prevented in Social Investing. It uses a case stu... more This chapter examines ways harm can be done and prevented in Social Investing. It uses a case study based on a real deal to tell a cautionary tale and provides tools to help philanthropist and impact investors find their moral compass through community feedback.

Research paper thumbnail of Promise and Peril of Big Finance

Palgrave Studies in Impact Finance, 2020

This chapter explores the promise and peril of Big Finance as it uses finance to address Wicked P... more This chapter explores the promise and peril of Big Finance as it uses finance to address Wicked Problems and the SDGs. It also provides the history of socially responsible investing (SRI). Its development parallels the history and evolution of the Wicked Problem framework. ESG (environmental, social, and governance) is fast becoming an industry standard for determining whether an investment achieves positive social and environmental returns. But does it work? Tom Van Dyck, founder and Board Member of As You Sow, brings his perspective on ways companies can make money through mission by divesting from fossil fuel companies and investing in alternative energy. It is followed by a discussion of the challenges BNY Mellon and McKnight Foundation teams had in developing a new ESG product, building new expertise in climate finance, and the roles foundation staff and consultants played to ensure a product with integrity entered the market. The case illustrates the importance of Deliberate Leadership in building a trusted relationship among partners to balance fiduciary responsibility with a deep commitment to create a product that aligned with a philanthropic mission to address the SDGs. The chapter focuses on SDG 13 climate action and how it impacts systemic issues connecting the SDGs.

Research paper thumbnail of Navigating Big Finance and Big Technology for Global Change

Palgrave Studies in Impact Finance, 2020

Research paper thumbnail of Correction to: Promise and Peril of Big Finance

The original version of this chapter has been revised with some belated corrections. The chapter ... more The original version of this chapter has been revised with some belated corrections. The chapter has been updated with the changes.

Research paper thumbnail of Wicked Problems and Deliberate Leadership: Finding True North

Palgrave Studies in Impact Finance, 2020

Research paper thumbnail of A Systems Model of Using the Deliberate Leadership

International Journal of Business and Systems Research, 2018

This study is predicated on the premise that addressing wicked problems through business practice... more This study is predicated on the premise that addressing wicked problems through business practices and social innovations will need new leadership and organisational development strategies for helping organisations mirror practices and approaches internally with staff and externally with stakeholders. The Deliberate Leadership® Model was developed as a subsequent of this need. This study illustrated the key implications for practice and for research of the Deliberate Leadership model using a multi-case study approach. The paper reviews wicked problems and discusses the epistemological genesis of the Deliberate Leadership framework. Using a multi-case method approach, the Deliberate Leadership is illustrated, and a baseline understanding of the use of the Deliberate Leadership approach in addressing wicked problems is discussed. A systemic model depicting the critical links in identifying wicked problems and the use of the Deliberate Leadership Framework (DLF) for addressing 'wickedly' complex problems is developed.

Research paper thumbnail of Promise and Perils of Social Finance:The Impact of Big Finance Tech on the World's Most Vulnerable

Academy of Management Proceedings, 2019

Social finance, impact investing, and technology are often seen as panaceas to solving wicked pro... more Social finance, impact investing, and technology are often seen as panaceas to solving wicked problems that threaten the world’s most vulnerable. From a social finance perspective, the role of cent...

Research paper thumbnail of Collective Impact: Dialogue at the Interface of the Colliding Systems of Philanthropy

World Review of Entrepreneurship, Management and Sustainable Development, 2019

Collective impact as a collaborative effort arose from the acknowledgement that existing methods ... more Collective impact as a collaborative effort arose from the acknowledgement that existing methods and development approaches were incapable of addressing large-scale and long-term societal problems, the so-called wicked problems. By creating a model of the ecosystem of organisations around a particular issue, a funder can understand who else is working in the same space, identify potential allies, and anticipate political or economic challenges that might arise. In a case study to assess the developmental impacts of foreign aid and developmental programs on women and children in one of the poorest districts in Ghana, we developed an approach through which collective impact can be initiated and evaluated. Through the life of Lamisi Seidu, a typical, poor, rural Ghanaian woman, we tell the symbolic story of poor women living in rural, peri-urban, and urban areas all over the world. We examine what defines collective impact, how such initiatives are structured, and the challenges in creating collective impact initiatives that achieve successes that are both long lasting and large scale. We also discuss the landscape mapping approach we developed.

Research paper thumbnail of Partnering for Impact: Developing The McKnight Foundation’s Carbon Efficiency Strategy

The Foundation Review, 2016

Research paper thumbnail of The Triple Bottom-Line and Investing for Impact: The Case of Afram Plains District of Ghana

This case study outlines how Wayne Fergusson’s investment consortium, representing high profile s... more This case study outlines how Wayne Fergusson’s investment consortium, representing high profile social impact organisations and individuals, has invested $22.45 million in a farm within the Afram Plains District of Ghana. Fergusson’s organisation has high hopes of reducing hunger, creating jobs, and helping development in the district catch up with the rest of the country. Just as the project was gaining significant media coverage and the interest from social investors across the world, new information regarding the use of questionable pesticides and possible child labour issues has been uncovered by a potential investor named Angela Wallingford. This case study which is a real case with the names of the actors changed for privacy and confidential reasons, was designed to help students think through the importance of the dynamics of social change, the triple bottom-line, and ethical decision-making, to grasp more profoundly the challenges facing venture philanthropists, impact inves...

Research paper thumbnail of Finding the Win in Wicked Problems: Lessons From Evaluating Public Policy Advocacy

The Foundation Review, 2009

Research paper thumbnail of The World is Home: A Case Study of the Silicon Valley Community Foundation

Silicon Valley Community Foundation – together with pfc Social Impact Advisors – has published a ... more Silicon Valley Community Foundation – together with pfc Social Impact Advisors – has published a case study to commemorate SVCF's first 10 years. During this period, SVCF made more than $4.3 billion in grants and significantly expanded its charitable reach.The new report provides details about how Silicon Valley Community Foundation was formed in 2007 from the merger of Peninsula Community Foundation and Community Foundation Silicon Valley, and how it has grown to become the largest funder of Bay Area charities and the largest community foundation in the world.Following the historic merger of the two parent foundations, Silicon Valley Community Foundation began seeking public input on how it could best approach the challenges faced by the residents of Santa Clara and San Mateo counties. SVCF's discretionary grantmaking focus areas were announced in 2008, supporting local education, economic security, immigration and regional planning that improves transportation and housing ...

Research paper thumbnail of A systems model of using the Deliberate Leadership® framework for addressing wicked problems

International Journal of Business and Systems Research, Apr 16, 2018

Research paper thumbnail of The World is Home: A Case Study of the Silicon Valley Community Foundation

Silicon Valley Community Foundation – together with pfc Social Impact Advisors – has published a ... more Silicon Valley Community Foundation – together with pfc Social Impact Advisors – has published a case study to commemorate SVCF's first 10 years. During this period, SVCF made more than $4.3 billion in grants and significantly expanded its charitable reach.The new report provides details about how Silicon Valley Community Foundation was formed in 2007 from the merger of Peninsula Community Foundation and Community Foundation Silicon Valley, and how it has grown to become the largest funder of Bay Area charities and the largest community foundation in the world.Following the historic merger of the two parent foundations, Silicon Valley Community Foundation began seeking public input on how it could best approach the challenges faced by the residents of Santa Clara and San Mateo counties. SVCF's discretionary grantmaking focus areas were announced in 2008, supporting local education, economic security, immigration and regional planning that improves transportation and housing ...

Research paper thumbnail of A systems model of using the Deliberate Leadership® framework for addressing wicked problems

International Journal of Business and Systems Research, Apr 16, 2018

Research paper thumbnail of Three Community Feedback Tools for Impact Investors

Too often impact investors park customer insight at the door when focused on projects in poor com... more Too often impact investors park customer insight at the door when focused on projects in poor communities. These approaches can help them learn what their target consumers really want. <em>Part of a series produced for SSIR with the support of the Hewlett Foundation.</em>

Research paper thumbnail of Big Finance, Big Technology, Wicked Problems, and the World’s Poor

Palgrave Studies in Impact Finance, 2020

We begin this book by providing common definitions for the concepts that we will be discussing an... more We begin this book by providing common definitions for the concepts that we will be discussing and applying in our six chapters. Those definitions will help create a shared understanding of what we mean by Big Finance and Big Technology, and the emerging social finance movement within them. They will also help us to recognize the Wicked Problems inherent in the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and what makes them “wicked.” The growth and development of Big Finance and Big Tech has created bright new opportunities to support positive social change. However, there is also a dark side to technology and the Fourth Industrial Revolution that is inhabited by rising inequality, fractured social and political institutions, and accelerating climate change. The Wicked Problems framework offers leaders an approach to tackle the greatest challenges facing the most vulnerable people and our planet.

Research paper thumbnail of The Surround Sound of Technology as an Accelerator of Social Good

Palgrave Studies in Impact Finance, 2020

Social media, artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain technology, mobile technology, and fintech... more Social media, artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain technology, mobile technology, and fintech are just some of the technologies that have revolutionized the way that our society and institutions transact, interact, store data, and develop. In this chapter we discuss the promise and perils of technology as it relates to social impact and investing, including the myths and realities of sociotechnical implementation and the balance of rights.

Research paper thumbnail of From Theory to Practice

Palgrave Studies in Impact Finance, 2020

UBS and UBS Optimus Foundation UBS Group AG (UBS) is one of the world's largest financial institu... more UBS and UBS Optimus Foundation UBS Group AG (UBS) is one of the world's largest financial institutions, with US$3.2 trillion AUM encompassing the world's largest wealth manager, the largest bank in Switzerland, a specialized and successful investment bank, and a major asset management house (pfc social impact advisors 2018, p. 9). A public company incorporated under the laws of Switzerland, UBS is committed to creating a positive impact for its clients, employees, investors, and society (pfc social impact advisors 2018, p. 9). As of December 2017, UBS' sustainable investments accounted for more than a third of its total invested assets, amounting to 1.1 trillion Swiss Francs (CHF), about US$1.13 trillion (UBS AG, 2018). The Dow Jones Sustainability Indices confirmed UBS as the industry leader for the fourth year running in 2018 (pfc social impact advisors 2018, p. 9). UBS established UBS Optimus Foundation (UBSOF, Optimus, or Foundation) in 1999 as an independent charitable grantmaking organization. Its mission is to "ensure children are safe, healthy, educated, and ready for their future" (as cited in pfc social impact advisors 2018, p. 13). Headquartered in Switzerland, Optimus has staff in Hong Kong, the United Kingdom, Germany, and the United States and includes two additional legal entities, UBS Optimus Foundation Deutschland and UBS Optimus Foundation United Kingdom; a donation platform through a

Research paper thumbnail of Wicked Problems and Deliberate Leadership: Finding True North

Research paper thumbnail of Moral Money: Do No Harm in Social Investing

This chapter examines ways harm can be done and prevented in Social Investing. It uses a case stu... more This chapter examines ways harm can be done and prevented in Social Investing. It uses a case study based on a real deal to tell a cautionary tale and provides tools to help philanthropist and impact investors find their moral compass through community feedback.

Research paper thumbnail of Promise and Peril of Big Finance

Palgrave Studies in Impact Finance, 2020

This chapter explores the promise and peril of Big Finance as it uses finance to address Wicked P... more This chapter explores the promise and peril of Big Finance as it uses finance to address Wicked Problems and the SDGs. It also provides the history of socially responsible investing (SRI). Its development parallels the history and evolution of the Wicked Problem framework. ESG (environmental, social, and governance) is fast becoming an industry standard for determining whether an investment achieves positive social and environmental returns. But does it work? Tom Van Dyck, founder and Board Member of As You Sow, brings his perspective on ways companies can make money through mission by divesting from fossil fuel companies and investing in alternative energy. It is followed by a discussion of the challenges BNY Mellon and McKnight Foundation teams had in developing a new ESG product, building new expertise in climate finance, and the roles foundation staff and consultants played to ensure a product with integrity entered the market. The case illustrates the importance of Deliberate Leadership in building a trusted relationship among partners to balance fiduciary responsibility with a deep commitment to create a product that aligned with a philanthropic mission to address the SDGs. The chapter focuses on SDG 13 climate action and how it impacts systemic issues connecting the SDGs.

Research paper thumbnail of Navigating Big Finance and Big Technology for Global Change

Palgrave Studies in Impact Finance, 2020

Research paper thumbnail of Correction to: Promise and Peril of Big Finance

The original version of this chapter has been revised with some belated corrections. The chapter ... more The original version of this chapter has been revised with some belated corrections. The chapter has been updated with the changes.

Research paper thumbnail of Wicked Problems and Deliberate Leadership: Finding True North

Palgrave Studies in Impact Finance, 2020

Research paper thumbnail of A Systems Model of Using the Deliberate Leadership

International Journal of Business and Systems Research, 2018

This study is predicated on the premise that addressing wicked problems through business practice... more This study is predicated on the premise that addressing wicked problems through business practices and social innovations will need new leadership and organisational development strategies for helping organisations mirror practices and approaches internally with staff and externally with stakeholders. The Deliberate Leadership® Model was developed as a subsequent of this need. This study illustrated the key implications for practice and for research of the Deliberate Leadership model using a multi-case study approach. The paper reviews wicked problems and discusses the epistemological genesis of the Deliberate Leadership framework. Using a multi-case method approach, the Deliberate Leadership is illustrated, and a baseline understanding of the use of the Deliberate Leadership approach in addressing wicked problems is discussed. A systemic model depicting the critical links in identifying wicked problems and the use of the Deliberate Leadership Framework (DLF) for addressing 'wickedly' complex problems is developed.

Research paper thumbnail of Promise and Perils of Social Finance:The Impact of Big Finance Tech on the World's Most Vulnerable

Academy of Management Proceedings, 2019

Social finance, impact investing, and technology are often seen as panaceas to solving wicked pro... more Social finance, impact investing, and technology are often seen as panaceas to solving wicked problems that threaten the world’s most vulnerable. From a social finance perspective, the role of cent...

Research paper thumbnail of Collective Impact: Dialogue at the Interface of the Colliding Systems of Philanthropy

World Review of Entrepreneurship, Management and Sustainable Development, 2019

Collective impact as a collaborative effort arose from the acknowledgement that existing methods ... more Collective impact as a collaborative effort arose from the acknowledgement that existing methods and development approaches were incapable of addressing large-scale and long-term societal problems, the so-called wicked problems. By creating a model of the ecosystem of organisations around a particular issue, a funder can understand who else is working in the same space, identify potential allies, and anticipate political or economic challenges that might arise. In a case study to assess the developmental impacts of foreign aid and developmental programs on women and children in one of the poorest districts in Ghana, we developed an approach through which collective impact can be initiated and evaluated. Through the life of Lamisi Seidu, a typical, poor, rural Ghanaian woman, we tell the symbolic story of poor women living in rural, peri-urban, and urban areas all over the world. We examine what defines collective impact, how such initiatives are structured, and the challenges in creating collective impact initiatives that achieve successes that are both long lasting and large scale. We also discuss the landscape mapping approach we developed.

Research paper thumbnail of Partnering for Impact: Developing The McKnight Foundation’s Carbon Efficiency Strategy

The Foundation Review, 2016

Research paper thumbnail of The Triple Bottom-Line and Investing for Impact: The Case of Afram Plains District of Ghana

This case study outlines how Wayne Fergusson’s investment consortium, representing high profile s... more This case study outlines how Wayne Fergusson’s investment consortium, representing high profile social impact organisations and individuals, has invested $22.45 million in a farm within the Afram Plains District of Ghana. Fergusson’s organisation has high hopes of reducing hunger, creating jobs, and helping development in the district catch up with the rest of the country. Just as the project was gaining significant media coverage and the interest from social investors across the world, new information regarding the use of questionable pesticides and possible child labour issues has been uncovered by a potential investor named Angela Wallingford. This case study which is a real case with the names of the actors changed for privacy and confidential reasons, was designed to help students think through the importance of the dynamics of social change, the triple bottom-line, and ethical decision-making, to grasp more profoundly the challenges facing venture philanthropists, impact inves...

Research paper thumbnail of Finding the Win in Wicked Problems: Lessons From Evaluating Public Policy Advocacy

The Foundation Review, 2009