WHEN we talk about philanthropy, there are a lot of conventions dictating what we can and cannot say. Philanthropy is not a business, or at least, we can't call it that. Telling stories of real people in need while also discussing return on investment or risk assessment is generally seen as tactless. Even the etymology of the word (from Greek philanthropia) is tied to thoughts of altruism and self-sacrifice. When we talk about philanthropy, we don't like to use the word profit.

It's an unfortunate convention. And it's also a destructive one - mainly because it has inhibited the development of effective, sustainable funding mechanisms. After all, if we cannot have conversations about how philanthropy might generate capital, we also cannot have conversations about the ways philanthropy can propagate beyond an initial investment. So we need to change the conversation.

The UBS Optimus Foundation has a unique and significant role to play in changing that conversation. We are part of UBS - the world's largest global wealth manager and the largest Swiss banking institution globally. We have an unparalleled network and are the only Foundation linked to a global wealth manager staffed with philanthropy experts serving clients. As a result, we are able to approach philanthropy with a storehouse of financial knowhow and innovative thinking. We are able to have frank, productive conversations about what makes a programme a good candidate for investment, how capital could be generated and refunnelled into other philanthropic programmes and how impact might be more transparently measured and quantified. In short, we get to be a little tactless in our conversations. And we also get to do a lot more good.