September 17, 2009

Expert Advice for Donors

By Caroline Preston

The idea: As a program analyst at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Howard Bornstein wondered how to respond to a friend who came to him seeking advice on an education charity to support. Sitting down the hall from Mr. Bornstein were dozens of people with vast knowledge of the question, yet there was no easy way to tap into their expertise — much less the knowledge of their counterparts at foundations, universities, and charities around the