Sally Osberg Reflects on Her 17 Years of Leadership

“You can see things from the shore that are not visible from the rushing stream.” 

As we mark an important milestone—the Skoll Foundation’s first CEO transition—we believed it important to capture the aspirations, values, and ways of working that constitute the DNA of the Foundation launched by Jeff Skoll and led by Sally Osberg.

  • The Skoll Foundation’s core values have stayed the course of time:
  • Seeking leverage to achieve “a whole lot of good” from our investment of time and resources.
  • Respecting the individual and the power of community.
  • Individually and collectively embracing a profound sense of responsibility.
  • Being disciplined, rigorous, and hopeful.
  • Inspired by the social entrepreneurs we serve, challenging ourselves to innovate.

As Sally reflected on her tenure at the Skoll Foundation, she engaged in a series of recorded conversations on social entrepreneurship; the birth, growth, and impact of the Foundation; emerging trends in philanthropy; and key lessons learned.

Here we share excerpts of those conversations.

1

Defining Social Entrepreneurship

2

Supporting Social Entrepreneurs

3

Social Entrepreneurship as a Discipline: The Skoll Centre

4

Investing and Connecting Social Entrepreneurs: Skoll Awards and 15 Years of Skoll World Forum

5

Telling the Stories of Social Entrepreneurship

6

Passing the Torch