Philanthropy Bookshelf Additions

When I returned to consulting, I thought I’d have more time to blog. As the first few months have unfolded, that didn’t happen. Instead, two big projects consumed my reading, research, and creative energies. You might find some of the books useful additions to your own reading list and digital or physical bookshelf.

I was asked to write a chapter for a book on the history of philanthropy in Pittsburgh, to be published by the University of Pittsburgh Press in 2016. The Philanthropy Forum at GSPIA is leading the project. To prepare for the chapter, I grounded myself in some of the seminal history books on philanthropy. None of the books were easy summer beach reading, but any of them would be useful to people new to, or wanting to join, the world of foundations and grantmakers.

• A Versatile American Institution (David C. Hammack and Helmut K. Anheier, 2013) focused on the changing practices and norms of foundations, starting in the 1800s and diving more deeply into foundations’ growth in the 20^th
• Inventing the Nonprofit Sector (Peter Dobkin Hall, 1992) looked at the growth of the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors and their roles in shaping American society.
• Philanthropy in America – Olivier Zunz (2012) focused on the ever-changing relationships between the philanthropic and government sectors and how those relationships shaped, and were shaped by, different historic periods.

I’m also working toward the Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy® certification through three online graduate courses at the American College. The courses mix online lectures with books and downloaded reading materials (sooooo many downloads….). The materials are useful to fundraising and planned giving staff and to professional advisors working with philanthropic individuals and families. Four highlights include:

• Give Smart (Thomas Tierney and Joel Fleishman), one of the key books in the movement to encourage donors and foundations to be strategic, focused, and proactive in their giving. Even if a donor doesn’t want to burdened with the work or label of “strategic philanthropy,” the book is full of good questions for self-reflection.
• Planned Giving in a Nutshell (Craig Wruck, 4^th, 2013) is a useful resource to nonprofit staff who aren’t in gift planning roles but need to know the basics and have quick access to sample forms and policies.
• The Right Side of the Table (Scott Fithian and Todd Fithian, 2007) is helps financial planners and other advisors move from a sales process to long-term discernment and trusted advisor roles. It is also a useful window into the minds of those advisors for nonprofit fundraising and gift planning staff.
• Wealth in Families (Charles Collier, 3^rd, 2012) is a must-have for exploring the meaning of wealth, how families can use it, and how they can pass on healthy values around money to children and other heirs. I had read it a few years ago, and it was definitely worth reading again.

I did read one book unrelated to those assignments, and I highly recommend it to leaders at businesses, foundations, and nonprofits:

• Matterness (Allison Fine, 2014) provides a valuable framework for how organizations can have more authentic, two-way conversations with the public and their customers/constituents. It looks at issues of organizational culture, building healthy online and in-person communities, social media, effectively connecting with crowds, and more. It’s a great follow-up to the book Fine wrote with Beth Kanter, The Networked Nonprofit, in 2010.

Next on my reading list are:

• The Social Profit Handbook (David Grant, 2015), a new resource on impact assessment for nonprofits, social enterprises, and foundations. David also has his own recommendations for a foot-long bookshelf.
• Understanding the Social Economy of the United States (Mook, Whitman, Quarter and Armstrong, 2015), a dive into the landscape of the business of social good beyond charitable nonprofits, including social economy businesses, local development enterprises, government-driven nonprofits, and mutual associations.
• New Frontiers of Philanthropy (Lester Salamon, editor, 2014), a thick guide to the new tools and actors reshaping philanthropy and social investing. Its 24 chapters cover the gamut from giving circles to equity investments, and from crowdfunding and prize philanthropy to quasi-public investment funds. In full, transparency, I probably won’t read every chapter word-for-word…

What great books about philanthropy are you reading this year?