Publications

The power to scale impact

Blended Finance is an approach to mobilizing private, philanthropic and public capital for social and environmental change. Heard of it, but not sure how it works, who can participate, or how it delivers impact? This primer offers a glimpse of the potential of blended finance, where we unpack the concept, explore real-world examples and provide proven actionable insights to help you navigate the opportunities it offers.

Time well lent

Volunteering is a powerful way to use your time for meaningful impact. Time well lent explores how to get started with impactful volunteering, both in your community and beyond. Drawing on real-world insights and experiences from within UBS, this guide provides practical advice on choosing causes, building connections and using your time effectively to create lasting change.

UBS Philanthropy Compass

Our UBS Philanthropy Compass is inspired by our interactions with families and individuals around the globe who are driven by their passion for making the world a better place. Here, we share what we’ve learned, over the 25+ years we've been walking clients through key questions and considerations. We relay some pitfalls and aim to inspire you to take a more radical approach to your philanthropy through an interactive workbook compass.

Learning for life

Featuring over 30 experts in education and child development, inside this guide you’ll find concrete tips on how to embrace a holistic approach which will help you consider the part you’ll play in providing inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong learning opportunities for all.

We need to help: Thoughtful philanthropy in response to humanitarian crises

Our team of Philanthropy Advisors and UBS Optimus Foundation Program Directors, with over two decades of expertise, offer the most important guidance for impactful giving during humanitarian crises. With this guide, donors can fund the right organizations for the greatest impact. And they can make sure their giving helps both during a disaster as well as on the long road to recovery and be prepared for the next crisis.

On thin ice – a guide to address climate change

On thin ice is a guide for all who wish to address climate change and combines the expertise of more than 40 climate experts, philanthropists and changemakers, with UBS´s 25+  years of experience in advising clients on making an effective impact. Find out how you can make a difference.

Good for Business… Business for Good Compass
A practical workbook guide

Maybe you’re wondering how your business might achieve its purpose and maximize its impact. Perhaps you’ve started your journey but got diverted on the way. Or you might be wondering how you can ingrain positive impact in your business for years to come. Whatever your reasons for reading, you’ve come to the right place.

While the compass guides you logically through each step, we know every business is at a different stage on the road to becoming a force for good.

How the world REALLY works – Philanthropy
Children’s book

A children’s book developed by UBS Optimus Foundation and Guy Fox Publishing that explains how philanthropy really works, from how to be effective and how to collaborate to how to scale to help stimulate meaningful conversations within the family.

Picture of Health: A guide toward better health for all

Picture of Health combines the expertise of more than 25 health experts, philanthropists and changemakers, with UBS´s 25+ years of experience in advising clients on making an effective impact. Find out how you can make a difference.

Seeds of Change: A guide to protect life on land

This guide combines the expertise of more than 50 environmentalists, philanthropists and changemakers, together with UBS’s 25+ years of experience in advising clients on making an effective impact. Find out how you can take action

Sea beyond the Blue: A guide on the oceans for philanthropists and changemakers

With this guide, we are bringing you over 20 years of experience in advising our clients on strategic philanthropy and the expertise of over 60 ocean experts, philanthropists, and changemakers who shared with us – and now with you – what they feel the priorities for ocean conservation are, what they have learned over the years, and their best tips to help you take impactful actions.

Faith and values

This guide is designed to give you a foundational knowledge of the history of faith-based philanthropy and focus shared giving principles of religions around the world. We explore motivations behind faith-based giving, and how they can manifest in both business and communities so that you are equipped to define your own faith-based giving strategy.

Celebrity capital – using a brand platform for good

After years of conversations and engagements with some of our most publicly recognized clients and their advisors, we realized something was missing: written guidance to help well-known individuals navigate the world of professional philanthropy. We found that while many celebrity clients have charitable goals, some even establishing charitable structures, relatively few were knowledgeable about philanthropy’s opportunities and pitfalls. This guide charts our experience as doers, thinkers and advisors to celebrities, many of them seasoned or emerging philanthropists to help you use your personal brand for good.

Nonprofit junior boards – the benefits of starting young

Public charities are required to have a board of directors – a governing body that is responsible for providing programmatic, financial and risk oversight. One element within this board oversight and governance construct that is becoming increasingly prevalent is the idea of auxiliary bodies that serve as an extension beyond governing boards to help support and further the mission of the nonprofit organization. One such auxiliary body is the concept of a non-governing Junior Board (young adults typically between 25 – 40 years old), This guide looks at the benefits of starting your board member journey at an earlier stage in life.

Fundraising Guide: A Resource for Philanthropists

Understanding how to access additional resources, how to find funding collaborators and ultimately how to fundraise is a common challenge for many philanthropists. While significant resources exist for professional fundraisers, little exists for philanthropists themselves. For this reason we have developed the Fundraising Guide: A Resource for Philanthropists, to help philanthropists plan, initiate and execute a successful fundraising drive.

The rise of the impact economy

Read the latest white paper from the UBS Sustainability and Impact Institute on how we’re evolving to the next level in regards to the rise of the impact economy.

Leveraging philanthropy – impact at scale for the world’s most vulnerable with the DIB fund

We’ve seen the benefits of results-based funding in the development impact bonds (DIBs) we’ve helped create and led as social investor. Within these DIBs, social and financial returns are fully correlated, allowing impactful programs to get support by evidencing effective results in solving some of the world’s most intractable problems. Read our paper on we can leverage the DIB fund for impact at scale.

Investing in potential – closing the tertiary education financing gap with income share agreements

Barriers to accessing tertiary education resulting from financial constraints can perpetuate social inequity. Inclusive financing mechanisms can help students from minority or low-income families access tertiary education and gain equal academic and professional opportunities independent of their background. Income share agreements (ISAs) have emerged as a solution that – if well designed and implemented – could help fill the market gap for inclusive education financing, better learning and employment outcomes.

In good company – aligning stakeholder interests for development with social finance

Social finance is an approach to investment that focuses explicitly on generating (social) impact. It incentivizes and rewards the delivery of results, thereby putting impact first. The rise of social finance is driven by the growing recognition that in order to solve the world’s most complex and intractable social and environmental challenges, a stronger focus on impact is required from investors. In this paper learn more on how you can use social finance models for investing in impact.

Impactful philanthropy – increasing effectiveness through evidence, scale and innovative funding

Funding for programs that aim to achieve the SDGs should have a positive impact. Sadly, not all philanthropy clears this basic hurdle. Some sensible-sounding programs make no difference at all. Even worse, some programs actually have a negative impact. This paper helps you make sure that your funding is aimed at positive results.

Monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL)

Impact is fundamental to what we do at the UBS Optimus Foundation. This requires an engaged and purposeful approach to grant management – from beginning to end – as well as a mind-set that is open to learning and improving. Flexibility is critical, as we support programs that are in various stages of maturity and organizations with diverse capacity needs. In this paper, we outline key principles of our approach that ensure data is purposeful, and is primarily focused on learning, management and experimentation. It is intended to provide our clients with examples on how this approach is applied within our programs.

The new continuum

At a time when funding for environmental and societal challenges is simultaneously insufficient and urgent, the range of ways that capital can be deployed to address these needs is growing rapidly. There are now many more options than simply providing philanthropic grant capital or excluding companies in sectors such as gambling or alcoholic beverages from investment portfolios. New and emerging solutions give you the option of being more strategic with your philanthropy or building sustainable investment portfolios without sacrificing market returns. Learn more about the growing convergence between investing and philanthropy and how it can help you create a lasting impact.

Supporting great vision (2024)

Reimagining the power of investing. Connecting people for a better world. That’s our purpose, and it’s what’s behind the UBS Global Visionaries program. Originally launched in 2016, we’re thrilled to share our program evaluation review of the program to date, offering valuable insights into the pivotal role of social entrepreneurs and the transformative power of impactful connections.

The Global Philanthropy Report (2018)

"Perspectives on the global foundation sector" is the most comprehensive analysis to date of global philanthropic practices and trends. The report was authored by researchers at the Hauser Institute for Civil Society at Harvard University and funded by UBS.

Creating impact through philanthropy: A Nordic perspective (2017)

A perspective on philanthropy and social investment by wealthy individuals in Denmark, Finland Norway, and Sweden. Study conducted in partnership with the Swedish Entrepreneurship Forum. 

New Values and Vision: Perspectives on Philanthropy in 21st Century China (2017)

An exploratory study of philanthropic giving among China's very wealthy citizens. Study conducted by Harvard University, available in English, Traditional Chinese and Simplified Chinese.

From Prosperity to Purpose (2015)

This report produced in collaboration with the Harvard Kennedy School looks at the perspectives on philanthropy and social investment among wealthy individuals in Latin America.

Africa’s Wealthy Give Back (2014)

This report offers a perspective on philanthropic giving by wealthy Africans in sub-Saharan Africa, with a focus on Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa.

Revealing Indian Philanthropy (2013)

This book aims to shed light on the positive contribution of philanthropy in India through perspectives from leading foundations and philanthropists in India.

UBS_INSEAD Study on Family Philanthropy in Asia (2011)

This research report shares the visions, activties and plans of wealthy Asian philanthropists through over 200 surveys and 100 personal interviews.