Don Gips, CEO Emeritus of the Skoll Foundation: Social Entrepreneurship, Systems Change, and the Rise of Systems Orchestrators
- Jul 20
- 3 min read
What does it take to change systems rather than simply address symptoms? In this episode of the Do One Better Podcast, Alberto Lidji speaks with Don Gips, CEO Emeritus of the Skoll Foundation, about the evolution of social entrepreneurship and the enduring role it plays in tackling the world's most complex challenges.
Drawing on a career spanning the private sector, government, diplomacy, and philanthropy, Don reflects on the Skoll Foundation's pioneering efforts to help establish social entrepreneurship as a global field. He discusses Jeff Skoll's founding vision, the creation of the Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship at the University of Oxford, and the growth of the Skoll World Forum into one of the world's foremost gatherings of social innovators.
The conversation explores what distinguishes social entrepreneurship from traditional charitable approaches, emphasizing the pursuit of systems change through innovative models that reshape incentives, institutions, and outcomes. Don explains why successful social entrepreneurs increasingly build enduring organizations rather than relying on individual leadership, and why adaptability is essential when navigating resistance to systemic reform.
A central theme is the growing importance of "systems orchestrators": trusted leaders who convene diverse stakeholders, align incentives, and enable collective action across sectors. Don argues that these often overlooked actors play a critical role in advancing large-scale social change, even when their contributions resist conventional methods of attribution and measurement.
The discussion also examines philanthropy's relationship with risk, the challenges of funding systems change, and the need to move beyond linear models of impact toward collaborative approaches that recognize shared contribution. Don shares practical insights into how foundations can better support both social entrepreneurs and the broader ecosystems that enable transformational change.
Reflecting on his own career, Don recounts lessons from leadership roles including U.S. Ambassador to South Africa, domestic policy advisor to Vice President Al Gore, and CEO of the Skoll Foundation.
The episode concludes with a simple but powerful principle that has shaped both the Skoll Foundation and Don's own career: bet on good people doing good things, then use your resources, relationships, and influence to help them succeed.
This conversation will appeal to anyone interested in philanthropy, social entrepreneurship, systems change, impact investing, leadership, and the future of social innovation.
About Don Gips
With a career spanning public service, politics, business, nonprofits, and technology, Don Gips is a Strategic Counselor and CEO Emeritus to the Skoll Foundation. In this role, he provides high-level guidance and support to the leadership team, our community of Awardees and grantees, and the Board of Directors. From 2019 to 2025, Don served as Chief Executive Officer of the Foundation, leading its work to invest in, connect, and champion social innovators around the world. Don is also a Senior Advisor to multiple companies, foundations, and NGOs and serves on the board of Cassava Technologies, Africa’s leading provider of information and telecommunications services. He has also served on the boards of Zayo, Mindspeed, Liquid, Omnispace, and Nextnav.
In 2008, Gips helped lead President Barack Obama’s transition team and then served in the White House as his Director of Presidential Personnel at the beginning of the Administration. From there he went on to serve as U.S. Ambassador to South Africa from 2009 to 2013. There he was recognized for his efforts to promote improved relations with South Africa when the U.S. State Department chose him as the recipient of the 2010 Sue M. Cobb Award for Exemplary Diplomatic Service.
During the Clinton Administration, he served as Chief Domestic Policy Advisor to Vice President Al Gore and Chief of the International Bureau at the Federal Communications Commission. At the FCC, he helped design the first spectrum auctions for licenses to utilize the continuum of frequencies used to provide wireless services ranging from radio broadcasting to mobile communications and satellite services.
In 1993, he helped create the framework for what would become the U.S. national service program, AmeriCorps, that continues to enroll more than 200,000 Americans each year in public service.
Gips has also held various roles in the private sector. He was head of Corporate Development at Level 3 Communications; led the Africa practice at Albright Stonebridge Group; and served as a venture partner at Columbia Capital and a Senior Advisor at Blackstone. He began his private sector career as a consultant at McKinsey & Company.
Don received an MBA from the Yale School of Management and a Bachelor’s degree from Harvard University. He is married to Elizabeth (Liz) Berry Gips. Don and Liz have three grown sons: Sam, Peter, and Ben.