Our president’s ability to participate in a shared leadership model is both unusual and a big part of our success. The steady turnover of youthful employees ensures a constant influx of new ideas and energy, while building a network for the future. Essential to our success is a corps of junior staff who typically work at CGD for two to three years before moving on to graduate school, or to jobs in government or other organizations. CGD takes no institutional positions on issues, while fellows are encouraged to follow their investigative instincts to reach their own conclusions. Attracting and retaining the best people means offering them the maximum amount of freedom and responsibility. Give great people plenty of freedom and responsibility.At the same time, flexible money allows a think tank to make venture investments in ideas that may not yet be ripe for donor support. Funder priorities are an important market signal of the value of our work, and engagement with donors on specific issues ensures that ideas flow in both directions. We’ve found that a healthy donor portfolio for us is about three-quarters programmatic funds targeted for specific work, with the remainder unrestricted. ![]() ![]() Ample, diversified financial support is critical for a think tank that aspires to remain independent and do more than chase contracts. Begin with flexible money-but not too much.Scott set out to make the world better, not create a “sandbox for economists.” That drive has become part of our DNA. imagined a new type of development think tank that would not just write reports-it would work aggressively for practical, real-world changes. Articulate an inspiring and results-driven mission.All institutions risk complacency, but this is especially relevant for think tanks whose job is to produce fresh ideas. We hope that others will read it in the spirit of one of our unofficial CGD mottos: “We take our work seriously, but not ourselves.” From a dozen years of failures and successes, we recently distilled twelve lessons that we hope can benefit other groups. Think tanks like ours can play a powerful-occasionally even transformative-role in the social sectors, offering donors impacts that extend far beyond those available through traditional charity. Other CGD “home runs” include the design of a $30 Nigeria debt-relief package and the creation of a satellite-based, high-resolution monitoring tool that is transforming efforts to end tropical deforestation. Andrew Selee’s recent book, What Should Think Tanks Do: A Strategic Guide to Policy Impact, begins with a story about how our organization, the Center for Global Development (CGD), moved an idea for advance market commitments from an academic curiosity to a $1.5 billion vaccine program that has averted millions of childhood deaths.
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