The Philanthropic Mind


Book Description

The Philanthropic Mind is based on dozens of candid interviews with Canada’s top philanthropists who share their personal stories and surprising insights. You will find the views of these accomplished Canadians instructive, intriguing, perhaps even validating, and certainly motivational. The Philanthropic Mind is a rare opportunity to learn from and be inspired by Canada’s most generous individuals – and to glean the real reasons behind some of their largest donations. It provides eye-opening perspectives for nonprofit professionals, board members and volunteers, as well as budding and seasoned philanthropists.




The Philanthropic Mind


Book Description

The Philanthropic Mind is based on dozens of candid interviews with Canada's top philanthropists who share their personal stories and surprising insights. You will find the views of these accomplished Canadians instructive, intriguing, perhaps even validating, and certainly motivational. The Philanthropic Mind is a rare opportunity to learn from and be inspired by Canada's most generous individuals - and to glean the real reasons behind some of their largest donations. It provides eye-opening perspectives for nonprofit professionals, board members and volunteers, as well as budding and seasoned philanthropists. Here is what some people have said about The Philanthropic Mind "WOW, what an awesome read! I couldn't put the book down. The quotes and anecdotes from philanthropists were so compelling." "The book has something for everyone. It is at one time, a 'how to' for fundraisers, a guide for philanthropists, and an entertaining read for those who are not in the fundraising world." "I really enjoyed this book. It allowed the philanthropists to tell their story - and I often felt like I was being let in on a secret. Everyone in the nonprofit world should read and learn from this important collection."




Delusional Altruism


Book Description

How you give matters. Discover philanthropic strategies for creating transformational change. Whether you regularly donate to charity, run a small family foundation, or are responsible for millions of dollars in grants, you are a philanthropist. Delusional Altruism: Why Philanthropists Fail To Achieve Change and What They Can Do To Transform Giving looks at how you can create transformational change. It reminds us that how we give is as important as the amount we give. The author describes common practices that hinder transformational change and explains how to avoid them, ensuring that your gifts help create the impact you seek. Delusional Altruism—a set of all-too-common errors in philanthropic strategy—can derail a program of giving and result in a loss of efficiency and effectiveness. This book asks philanthropists and charitable organizations to consider whether they have fallen under the spell of Delusional Altruism. Are you cutting out impactful giving in order to save money or avoid uncertainty? Is your philanthropic approach unnecessarily restricted by traditional thinking? This book will help you answer these questions and determine how you can achieve better outcomes through the process of Transformational Giving. Ask questions that spur learning and fuel innovation Believe that investment in yourself and your operation is important Increase the speed of your actions to increase the impact of your giving Give in ways that create lasting, sustainable change Follow strategies to make your philanthropy unstoppable Although enhanced opportunities for philanthropic giving are on the horizon, changes to philanthropic practice are needed to prevent this philanthropy boom from becoming under-leveraged. Implementing updated approaches now can lead to positive change for the future. Read Delusional Altruism to learn how you can transform reality with strategic giving.




The Givers


Book Description

An inside look at the secretive world of elite philanthropists--and how they're quietly wielding ever more power to shape American life in ways both good and bad. While media attention focuses on famous philanthropists such as Bill Gates and Charles Koch, thousands of donors are at work below the radar promoting a wide range of causes. David Callahan charts the rise of these new power players and the ways they are converting the fortunes of a second Gilded Age into influence. He shows how this elite works behind the scenes on education, the environment, science, LGBT rights, and many other issues--with deep impact on government policy. Above all, he shows that the influence of the Givers is only just beginning, as new waves of billionaires like Mark Zuckerberg turn to philanthropy. Based on extensive research and interviews with countless donors and policy experts, this is not a brief for or against the Givers, but a fascinating investigation of a power shift in American society that has implications for us all.




Understanding Philanthropy


Book Description

“A fine volume on the moral meaning and function of philanthropy…makes the case that philanthropy is essential to democratic society.”—Choice Philanthropy has existed in various forms in all cultures and civilizations throughout history, yet most people know little about it and its distinctive place in our lives. Why does philanthropy exist? Why do people so often turn to philanthropy when we want to make the world a better place? In essence, what is philanthropy? These fundamental questions are tackled in this engaging and original book. Written by one of the founding figures in the field of philanthropic studies, Robert L. Payton, and his former student sociologist Michael P. Moody, Understanding Philanthropy presents a new way of thinking about the meaning and mission of philanthropy. Weaving together accessible theoretical explanations with fascinating examples of philanthropic action, this book advances key scholarly debates about philanthropy and offers practitioners a way of explaining the rationale for their nonprofit efforts.




In Defence of Philanthropy


Book Description

Running down "do-gooders" has become a popular pastime in recent years. Lampooning, criticizing and even attacking philanthropists for their charitable activities has become sport for journalists and academics alike. Big donors have been subjected to specific vilification as their acts are characterized as a means to self-aggrandisement or tax evasion. Yet, it is widely acknowledged that philanthropy has played a critical role in both developed and developing societies from the establishment of Carnegie Libraries in Victorian England to the global health interventions of the Gates Foundation. Arguably, without philanthropists - big or small - society would be greatly impoverished and projects beyond the scope of government and the market would never receive funding. In an impassioned defence of the role of philanthropy in society, Beth Breeze tackles the main critiques levelled at philanthropy and questions the rationale for undermining, disparaging and trivialising philanthropic acts. She contends that although it might be flawed, philanthropy is a sector that ought to be celebrated and championed so that an abundance of causes and interests can flourish.




Giving 2.0


Book Description

Gold Medal Winner; Philanthropy, Charities, and Nonprofits; 2012 Axiom Business Book Awards Giving 2.0 is the ultimate resource for anyone navigating the seemingly infinite ways one can give. The future of philanthropy is far more than just writing a check, and Giving 2.0 shows how individuals of every age and income level can harness the power of technology, collaboration, innovation, advocacy, and social entrepreneurship to take their giving to the next level and beyond. Major gifts may dominate headlines, but the majority of giving still comes from individual households—ordinary people with extraordinary generosity. Even in 2009, at a time of deep recession, individual giving averaged almost $2,000 per household and drove 82% of the $300 billion donated that same year. Based on her vast experience as a philanthropist, academic, volunteer, and social innovator, Arrillaga-Andreessen shares the most effective techniques she herself pilots and studies and a vast portfolio of lessons learned during her lifetime of giving. Featuring dozens of stories on innovative and powerful methods of how individuals give time, money, and expertise—whether volunteering and fundraising, leveraging technology and social media, starting a giving circle, fund, foundation, or advocacy group, or aspiring to create greater social impact—Giving 2.0 shows readers how they can renew, improve, and expand their giving and reach their fullest potential. A practical, entertaining, and inspiring call to action, Giving 2.0 is an indispensable tool for anyone passionate about creating change in our world.







Philanthropy Revolution: How to Inspire Donors, Build Relationships and Make a Difference


Book Description

In the first book on philanthropy written from a donor’s perspective, businesswoman and philanthropist Lisa Greer lifts the lid on our charitable sector, with an authentic account that describes exactly how outdated the sector has become and why it’s at risk of collapse.




Giving Well, Doing Good


Book Description

This anthology explores the enterprise of philanthropy—assumptions, aspirations, and achievements. It brings together key texts that can provide guidance to current and prospective donors, trustees and professional staff of foundations, and leaders of nonprofit organizations. Organized thematically, these texts seek to illuminate fundamental questions about the idea and practice of philanthropy, to promote more thoughtful discussion about practical issues facing the philanthropic sector, and to point a way toward a philanthropic practice that is more responsible, more effective, and more civic-spirited. Amy A. Kass has selected readings from sources that range from the classics to the contemporary, from foundational statements on philanthropy to reflections on key issues of novelists and poets. Each illuminates some aspect of philanthropy. The book is arranged according to themes: goals and intentions; gifts, donors, and recipients; grants, grantors, grantees; bequests and legacies; effectiveness; accountability; and leadership.