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About the foundationFounded by Aydin Doğan
Family Business - Doğan Holding |
conclusion
Since Aydın Doğan’s daughters took the lead at the Foundation, there has been an in- creased drive to monitor and improve projects’ impact. Whilst the Foundation is encouraged by the figures of the number of girls supported and dormitories built, they also want to provide evidence of outcomes, not just outputs. Later this year (October 2015), the Foundation will launch a book and a film, recounting the stories of girls who benefited from dormitories and scholarships.
The aim of the Foundation for the coming years is to deepen and extend the impact of the programme. In order to deepen the impact, they are working with the Ministry of Education and a university’s education and psychology department to design programmes for the dormitories which should build girls’ confidence, curiosity and ambition. In order to extend its impact, in recent years the Foundation has selected a few girls from each dormitory – those with the best grades, about 30 in total – and brings them to Istanbul to visit universities, attend concerts and go to museums. Girls who are accepted by fee-paying universities can receive scholarships for university education.
Whilst the family is still closely involved with the Foundation – it is the family who appoints all members of the Foundation’s board, and the board meets once every month – they are ready to delegate to the Foundation’s professional staff to manage operations once decisions have been taken. A team of seven staff is supported, from time to time, by staff from the Doğan group who have skills and expertise to offer.
The General Manager of the Foundation is always on the board to ensure good communication between the board and professionals; chief financial officers from the Doğan companies often sit on the board to ensure accountability for the money they contribute. Since Aydın Doğan stepped back from the Foundation, three of his daughters have taken the reins on the board for two to three years at a time. Whilst who takes the lead changes from time to time, one thing is sure: women will never be left behind where the Aydın Doğan Foundation is active.
The aim of the Foundation for the coming years is to deepen and extend the impact of the programme. In order to deepen the impact, they are working with the Ministry of Education and a university’s education and psychology department to design programmes for the dormitories which should build girls’ confidence, curiosity and ambition. In order to extend its impact, in recent years the Foundation has selected a few girls from each dormitory – those with the best grades, about 30 in total – and brings them to Istanbul to visit universities, attend concerts and go to museums. Girls who are accepted by fee-paying universities can receive scholarships for university education.
Whilst the family is still closely involved with the Foundation – it is the family who appoints all members of the Foundation’s board, and the board meets once every month – they are ready to delegate to the Foundation’s professional staff to manage operations once decisions have been taken. A team of seven staff is supported, from time to time, by staff from the Doğan group who have skills and expertise to offer.
The General Manager of the Foundation is always on the board to ensure good communication between the board and professionals; chief financial officers from the Doğan companies often sit on the board to ensure accountability for the money they contribute. Since Aydın Doğan stepped back from the Foundation, three of his daughters have taken the reins on the board for two to three years at a time. Whilst who takes the lead changes from time to time, one thing is sure: women will never be left behind where the Aydın Doğan Foundation is active.