Nonprofit Literature Blog

"Off the Shelf" Book Reviews

Philanthropy News Digest (PND), a daily news service of the Foundation Center, is a compendium, in digest form, of philanthropy-related articles and features culled from print and electronic media outlets nationwide. In PND's Off the Shelf  feature, you'll find reviews of books on a variety of topics ranging from international philanthropy to nonprofit management. Here are excerpts from five reviews published in the second half of 2012.

The Last Hunger Season: A Year in an African Farm Community on the Brink of Change
Roger Thurow (New York, New York: PublicAffairs, 2012)

"As Thurow tells it, Andrew Youn, One Acre's co-founder and executive director, believes East Africa's food insecurity problem is primarily economic rather than agricultural, and he has come up with an innovative business model to address the high rates of malnutrition, depleted soils, lack of access to information, and crop price fluctuations that are characteristic of the region." Read more...

Changing Business From the Inside Out: A Treehugger's Guide to Working in Corporations
Timothy J. Mohin (San Francisco, California: Berrett-Koehler, 2012)

"...corporate responsibility programs aren't making the world any worse, and, at their best, they may be contributing to change within corporate cultures and doing some good. But whether multinational corporations can actually drive greater social change than the activists, nongovernmental organizations, and governments that have been pushing them to adopt a responsibility agenda for decades remains to be seen." Read more...

Charity Case: How the Nonprofit Community Can Stand Up for Itself and Change the World
Dan Pallotta (San Francisco, California: Jossey-Bass, 2012)

"Pallotta argues that executive compensation and overhead expenses cannot be considered in isolation when gauging an organization's effectiveness or efficiency. On the contrary, embracing the tools of capitalism (competitive salaries, advertising, lobbying, etc.) may be the best way for charities to maximize their donations and ultimately deliver superior services and programs." Read more...

A Memoir of the Ford Foundation: The Early Years
Evelyn C. Walsh, Verne S. Atwater (New York, NY: Vantage Press, 2012)

"Less a comprehensive history of the Ford Foundation than an impressionistic behind-the-scenes account of what it was like to work at the foundation as it rose to international prominence, 'A Memoir of the Ford Foundation: The Early Years' is a splendid addition to the growing literature about twentieth-century philanthropy and ably demonstrates that philanthropy, while an inherently personal endeavor, has the potential to exceed even our grandest expectations." Read more...  

The Art of Being Unreasonable: Lessons in Unconventional Thinking
Eli Broad (Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, 2012)

"Broad credits his parents, who owned a five-and-dime and were always generous with their time and the resources they had, with teaching him the importance of giving back. Following their example, he and [his wife] Edythe have adopted a hands-on approach to their philanthropy, which Broad believes is a 'more meaningful way to give back.' The Broads are actively involved in the work of their foundations and are famous for asking three questions before making a philanthropic investment: Will the grant make a difference in twenty years? Will the project happen without our support? And are the right people in place to make it happen?" Read more...

You can read highlights of reviews from the first half of 2012 here. For all Off the Shelf reviews, click here.

--Rob Bruno
Catalog/Reference Librarian
The Foundation Center--NY

Philanthropy Chat Podcasts

Jimmy Tom, Director of the Foundation Center's New York Office, recently spoke with three authors about collaboration, social entrepreneurship, and nonprofit management. Below, I've provided the summary of each chat along with a link to the stream/mp3:

Nancy Maxwell on Grant Collaborations with Libraries
Maxwell, former library director at Miami Dade College and Barry University, discusses ideas from her book Grant Money Through Collaborative Partnerships. She describes the unique strengths that libraries bring to grant collaborations and highlights key conditions that are necessary in order to have more collaborations involving libraries in the future. Listen>>

Beverly Schwartz Discusses Social Entrepreneurs
Schwartz, vice president of global marketing at Ashoka, covers topics from her book, Rippling: How Social Entrepreneurs Spread Innovation Throughout the World. She defines social entrepreneurship, and explores the “tipping point” at which social entrepreneurs decide to start their project. She also provides tips for future social entrepreneurs. Listen>> (You may also read my previous post on this book)

Deirdre Maloney on Nonprofit Myths
The former director of the Colorado AIDS Project and current president of the firm Momentum discusses key points from her book, The Mission Myth: Building Nonprofit Momentum Through Better Business. Maloney examines the myths and realities of nonprofit management, marketing, and outcomes measurement. She also provides tips for new executive directors. Listen>>

Find other Foundation Center podcasts here. You can also subscribe to Foundation Center podcasts on iTunes or get the RSS feed.

 --Rob Bruno
Catalog/Reference Librarian
Foundation Center--New York

Foundation Review: Faith and Philanthropy

The latest issue (vol. 4, issue 3, 2012) of the peer-reviewed journal Foundation Review was originally planned as an issue on faith and philanthropy. However, only two articles on the topic were accepted, so it is now a general-themed issue. Why were there so few submissions?  Editor-in-chief Teresa Behrens speculates that the targeted funding of faith-based programs is relatively new and little rigorous evaluation has been done. She also theorizes that these programs are somehow seen as outside the purview of evaluation.

In this post, I've abstracted five of the articles in the issue; the first two address faith-based philanthropy. You can read the entire issue at the New York Library. For contents of older issues, search the Catalog of Nonprofit Literature.

"Philanthropy in the Faith Community: Mobilizing Faith-based Organizations for Substance Use Prevention" by Ashley Townes, Kelly Firesheets, and Mary Francis. (p. 14-20)

CNL Abstract: Article describes successes and lessons learned when congregations are engaged in community-based substance abuse efforts. The Assistance for Substance Abuse Prevention Center (Cincinnati, OH) has worked with community partners in the faith community to prevent alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use; the authors outline the collaborative effort and offer advice for faith-based philanthropy.

"The Role of the Congregation in Community Service: a Philanthropic Case Study" by Mark T. Mulder, et al. (p. 21-41)

CNL Abstract: Examines a foundation funded collaborative, church-based effort in Grand Rapids, MI called the Gatherings of Hope Initiative. The study concentrates on its Family Leadership Initiative, which was charged with improving inner-city African-American and Latino children's education and strengthening their families. Article discusses the foundation's role, program evaluation and impact, and shares lessons learned.

Behrens: "initial evaluation shows high levels of satisfaction, with students reporting some academic improvements"

"Dimensions of Change: a Model for Community Change Efforts" by Jara Dean-Coffey, Nicole Farkouh, and Amy Reisch (p. 42-64)

CNL Abstract: Introduces a framework that can be used by foundations, government bodies, coalitions, or individual organizations that are initiating or engaged in substantive efforts to bring about community change. Describes the "Dimensions of Change Model" and then examines its use through the efforts of the First 5 Marin Children and Families Commission in Marin County (San Rafael, CA).

"Investigating the Roles of Community Foundations in the Establishment and Sustainability of Local College Access Networks in Michigan" by Nathan Daun-Barnett and Haley Lamm (p. 65-76)

CNL Abstract: Examines the roles that community foundations play in the creation and establishment of local college access networks (LCANs) in Michigan. LCANs are community-based coordinating bodies committed to building a college-going culture and increasing attendance and completion rates. Foundation roles include fundraising, convening, and cheerleading the efforts of LCANs.

  
"Assessing and Advancing Foundation Transparency: Corporate Foundations as a Case Study" by Marta Rey-Garcia, Javier Martin-Cavanna, and Luis Ignacio Alvarez-Gonzalez. (p. 77-89)

CNL Abstract: Article frames and discusses the topics of accountability and transparency within corporate foundations in the U.S. and Spain. It identifies and describes six drivers of increased transparency, and proposes a simple tool for assessing transparency internationally. The authors also found that benchmarking reports were a key driver for increased transparency at Spanish foundations

 --Rob Bruno
Catalog/Reference Librarian
The Foundation Center