So, you want to join the Peace Corps . . . If you are interested in joining the Peace Corps, you probably have questions that run the gamut from "What is the application process like?" to "Is the Peace Corps effective as a development agency?" In this updated second edition, former Peace Corps volunteer Dillon Banerjee shares candid facts and insights about the experience in a practical question-and-answer format. With input from recently returned volunteers who served across the globe, this thorough guide presents valuable information including: - What Peace Corps recruiters look for in your application- Items you should--and shouldn't---pack for your two-year trip- Useful gadgets and technology that help volunteers stay connected from far away- Real answers to personal questions about culture shock, safety, dating, homesickness, and more Whether you're thinking of joining or have already been accepted and are preparing to leave, "The Insider's Guide to the Peace Corps" will help equip you for the unique challenges and rewards of the volunteer experience, regardless of your program area or country assignment. It's essential reading for anyone interested in "the toughest job you'll ever love."

September 2005, in the after-math of Hurricane Katrina, we had no idea that we were about to embark on an unexpected journey. As the days, weeks and months progressed, the Thornton family, from New Orleans, told us their extraordinary story in bits and pieces. Our journey over the following months has changed our lives forever. We are telling our story through our own eyes, what we saw, heard and witnessed. It will make you laugh and cry; it will make you angry and warm your heart. Come on this journey with us and experience the joys and the heartaches, as we learned how to help others in need. Meet all the 'Angels' who helped us out along the way by giving this family 'pieces for their quilts'. A portion of the proceeds of this book will be donated to the 'Thornton Housing Fund'. You can read more about the Thornton's and follow their progress at www.eagleswingspublications.com

"Equal parts inspiration, perspiration, and information -- a book that is sure to take the Vibrant Communities story to new heights as it begins its next exciting phase."

In Canada, "poverty reduction" is no longer a "wouldn't it be nice" dream discussed after yet another failure to make a dent in an age-old problem. It's a living, breathing, exhilarating reality.

Why?

Because all across the country people are approaching poverty in a positive, creative, and energetic way. They are doing so courtesy of a new social phenomenon called Vibrant Communities: a network of people who are getting people together - citizens (no matter what their income), community developers, business people, and representatives from all levels of government -- to determine needs, community assets, and strategies. They're putting plans into action with astonishing results.

This book tells their story. And perhaps yours, too.

Paul Born is the author of the recently published "Community Conversations: Mobilizing the Ideas, Skills, and Passion of Community Organizations, Governments, Businesses, and People." He is internationally recognized for his innovative approaches to community building. He is the President and Co-founder of Tamarack - An Institute for Community Engagement and the founding chair of the Canadian Community Economic Development Network, Vibrant Communities Canada, and Opportunities 2000.

As nonprofit organizations face heightened scrutiny by the general public, donors, regulators, and members of Congress, the Third Edition of the essential book on the basics of fundraising provides new, up-to-date and valuable information that every fundraiser needs to know. With ethics and accountability being the primary theme of the Third Edition, this practical guide will continue to provide an overview of the field and give development staff, managers, and directors a platform from which to operate their fundraising programs. The new edition also provides much needed information on giving trends, computer hardware and software available for fundraisers, cost estimates and workflow timetables, and the importance of the Internet. This primer remains a must-have for anyone new to the fundraising arena.

Imagine! Charitable giving is a great business strategy that meets the needs of others and your business. "Small Businesses Give Big" captures the heart, values and passion of entrepreneurs and business owners through their own inspiring profiles and profound giving back stories. Each business presents the important role that philanthropy has in their success and how it serves both their own growth and those whose lives they touch. While they all have a unique way of giving back, they share a common root, the value they place on giving and their passion to stand for something that goes beyond the bottom-line. Get ready to be inspired! These community-minded businesses and socially conscious entrepreneurs share how business giving is more than just a good thing to do. It's a way of doing business that has benefits where the impact ripples far beyond what you can possibly see!

Growing Civil Society investigates the role of voluntary action and nonprofit organization in contemporary America. Key to the book is the concept of "third space," which provides an important tool for the construction of civil society. The third space is not independent from society's major institutions, but exists in dynamic interdependence with them, linking individuals in their home bases of family and community to the larger governmental and economic structures within which all citizens, workers, and consumers learn to find their way in modern society.

In July 2004, the author volunteered to work at a summer camp for Romanian orphans. "These children epitomized the word SURVIVOR. They were loving, energetic, and full of life despite the trauma of their existence. I found them needy, emotionally draining, and champions at overcoming their sorrow and loss. Etched in my heart are the stories of their lives." Journey of the Heart recounts the author's experience and the deeply moving stories of these children. All proceeds from this book will be donated to Children on the Edge.

This is the biography of a ruling-class woman who became a major American philanthropist. The wife of robber-baron Russell Sage (partner of Jay Gould) and in her husband's shadow for 37 years, Olivia Sage took on the mantle of active, reforming womanhood in New York voluntary associations. When Russell Sage died in 1906, he left her a vast fortune. Already in her 70s, she took the money and put it to her own uses. An advocate for the rights of women and the responsibilities of wealth, for moral reform and material benefit, Sage used the money to fund a wide spectrum of progressive reforms that had a lasting impact on American life, including her most significant philanthropy, the Russell Sage Foundation.

According to an old saying, "We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give." In 21 brief and insightful essays, Richard B. Gunderman shows us that the key to more rewarding giving can be found by looking beyond mere donations of money. With a more inclusive view of giving that considers the needs and opportunities of donors as well as recipients, he argues that the amount of money changing hands is an inadequate measure of benevolence, and that some of the grandest forms of generosity involve no money at all. Exploring the ethical core of sharing, examining its importance for both those who receive and those who give, here is a book to enrich our lives and deepen our understanding of what it means to share wealth.

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."

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.

The newest edition of this classic book shows how anyone can align and integrate values, passions, and dreams for their communities and families into their giving plans. Inspired Philanthropy explains how to make a difference by creating giving and legacy plans, tells what questions to ask nonprofits, and spells out how to partner with advisors and nonprofit leaders for inspired outcomes. In addition to overall updates to statistics, the new edition includes a discussion of the implications of the Buffett gift to the Gates Foundation; new legacy planning tools; expanded resources on youth, giving circles, and communities of color; and key questions for advisors and donors. Additional resources are available on the enclosed CD-ROM.

Praise for "Inspired Philanthropy"

"This book is a must-use for all of us who encourage people to be thoughtful in their giving and to be as generous as possible. Buy this book for your board members and your other donors. And use it yourself!"
--Kim Klein, author, "Fundraising for Social Change"

"Inspired Philanthropy has all the fuel your engine of generosity will need to assure you more purposeful and satisfying personal giving. Tracy Gary speaks to your soul, your accountant, and your lawyer. She conducts self-discovery systematically but tenderly."
--Dr. Claire Gaudiani, clinical professor, The Heyman Center on Philanthropy and Fundraising, New York University, and author, "The Greater Good"

"There is no better guide than Tracy Gary for transforming one's inner donor activist into an empowered donor leader."
--Jessica Chao, Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors & Cultures of Giving Fund

"This book will make sure you continue tobreathe financially free for yourself and others for generations to come."
--Suze Orman, author, "The 9 Steps to Financial Freedom and The Road to Wealth"

"Inspired Philanthropy lets us in on the secret that giving money for social change is the most rewarding form of investment."
--Gloria Steinem, author, activist, and board of Women's Media Center

"Buy this book, but be sure to sit down with your family and community and use it to guide your check writing and volunteering."
--Ben Cohen, president and founder, Business Leaders for Sensible Priorities, and former chairman, Ben & Jerry's

Unique in all the world, the American foundation sector has been an engine of social change for more than a century.

In this companion volume to "The Foundation: A Great American Secret," Joel Fleishman, Scott Kohler, and Steven Schindler explore 100 of the highest-achieving foundation initiatives of all time. Based on a rich array of sources--from interviews with the principals themselves to contemporaneous news accounts to internal evaluation reports--this volume presents brief case studies of foundation success stories across virtually every field of human endeavor.

The influence of the foundations on American, and indeed global society, has only occasionally come into the public view. For every well-known foundation achievement--Andrew Carnegie's massive library building program or the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's public efforts to curb tobacco use--there are a great many lesser-known, but often equally important stories to be told.

The cases in this volume provide a wealth of evidentiary support for Joel Fleishman's description of, and recommendations for, the foundation sector. With lessons for grant-makers, grant-seekers, public officials, and public-spirited individuals alike, this casebook pieces together 100 stories, some well known, others never before told, and offers hard proof of the foundation sector's immense and enduring impact on scientific research, education, public policy, and many other fields. The work that foundations have supported over the past century has achieved profound results. Yet foundations are capable of more and better. This volume, a window onto great successes of the past and present, is at once a look back, a look around, and a point of reference as we turn to the future.

Many acts of charitable giving fail in their stated goals and some are actually harmful. In Taking Philanthropy Seriously, the authors explain why this state of affairs exists. They outline solutions, ranging from those that equip philanthropists to do good work to those that build a domain of philanthropic knowledge, ethical codes, and best practices. Attention is also given to considering recipients needs, frustrations, and hopes for support. Philanthropic leaders disclose instances of both good and compromised work, show how ethical concerns are secondary to "success" in philanthropy, and reveal strategies to promote effective and ethical conduct.

Contributors are Lynn Barendsen, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, William Damon, Akash Deep, Peter Frumkin, Howard Gardner, Laura Horn, Carrie James, Leslie Lenkowsky, Paula Marshall, Jennifer Menon, Sarah Miles, Liza Hayes Percer, Rob Reich, Tanya Rose, Paul G. Schervish, James Allen Smith, Nick Standlea, Thomas J. Tierney, and Susan Verducci."

In the history of New Orleans, there are those who make policy and those who are forced to live by policy. To help balance the scales, " Voice of the Poor: Citizen Participation Informing Public Policy for Rebuilding New Orleans" focuses on low-income residents, mostly African Americans, whose views are needed to help rebuild the shattered city in a way that will make it more sustainable, inclusive, and economically competitive than it was before Hurricane Katrina.

Through citizen participation, everyone's voice can be heard. As a result, New Orleans will become more equitable. "Voice of the Poor" offers a process for arriving at an acceptable solution for those who are interested in individual and community self-determination. Input of both current "and" displaced residents is vitally important in the rebuilding of the city. However, participation has generally been limited to those who have had the resources to return to New Orleans and continue their lives there. A variety of outlets for the participation of those who have returned have been available, and their contributions are integral in developing the plan to rebuild New Orleans.

Ironically, low-income citizens-those most impacted by the storm-have largely been excluded from this discussion. "Voice of the Poor" seeks to bridge this gap.

This fifth book in the Advances in Service-Learning Research series continues to expand the discussion of service-learning research and practice. The chapters were selected through a refereed, blind-review process from papers presented at the 4th Annual International K-H Service-Learning Research Conference held October 2004 in Greenville, South Carolina. The chapters focus on topics that address a variety of issues in higher education and teacher education and are organized into four sections. This volume in the series presents new paradigms that can lead practitioners to create more powerful experiences, and lead researchers to a better understanding of the relationships between service-learning, participants, context, and outcomes. If implemented, the models in this volume can do much to help us better understand the essence of service-learning and add to its value to education and the development of engaged citizens.

Poor People's Medicine is a detailed history of Medicaid since its beginning in 1965. Federally aided and state-operated, Medicaid is the single most important source of medical care for the poorest citizens of the United States. From acute hospitalization to long-term nursing-home care, the nation's Medicaid programs pay virtually the entire cost of physician treatment, medical equipment, and prescription pharmaceuticals for the millions of Americans who fall within government-mandated eligibility guidelines. The product of four decades of contention over the role of government in the provision of health care, some of today's Medicaid programs are equal to private health plans in offering coordinated, high-quality medical care, while others offer little more than bare-bones coverage to their impoverished beneficiaries.Starting with a brief overview of the history of charity medical care, Jonathan Engel presents the debates surrounding Medicaid's creation and the compromises struck to allow federal funding of the nascent programs. He traces the development of Medicaid through the decades, as various states attempted to both enlarge the programs and more finely tailor them to their intended targets. At the same time, he describes how these new programs affected existing institutions and initiatives such as public hospitals, community clinics, and private pro bono clinical efforts. Along the way, Engel recounts the many political battles waged over Medicaid, particularly in relation to larger discussions about comprehensive health care and social welfare reform. Poor People's Medicine is an invaluable resource for understanding the evolution and present state of programs to deliver health care to America's poor.

Milton Hershey is well known for his chocolate. You can find Hershey's chocolate throughout America and many other countries. Moreover, many have written about him likening M.S. Hershey to royalty, such as an Emperor or King of chocolate. However, this is not the Hersheys' greatest achievement. The far more unique, extraordinary and unparalleled achievement of Milton and Catherine Hershey is The Hershey Industrial School. As part of The Hershey Industrial School, the Hersheys created the community, businesses and education system of Hershey, PA. HIS was established in perpetuity for the benefit of American orphans. Hershey - Ideal Community for Orphans is about the Hersheys' intelligent philanthropy. A philanthropy that not only benefited all who were a part of it, its beneficiaries are American children who are orphans, and therefore, through no fault of their own, are at risk of suffering a range of undesirable outcomes. The Hersheys were driven by philanthropic effectiveness, measured by the degree to which each individual was able to reach their full potential according to their own characteristics. HIS fully develops each orphan as a whole person according to such child's unique potential through its state-of-the-art program tailored around each individual by transforming him into an adult of exceptional character, prepared to make a living as an adult.

Praise for Recruiting and Training Fundraising Volunteers

"Linda Lysakowski brings into focus the realities of enlisting volunteers to ensure success in a campaign. She clearly outlines logical steps that lead to inspiring passion in the volunteer, who is so essential to reaching a goal. I wish such a comprehensive treatise had been available to me forty years ago!"
--Milton Murray, Director Emeritus Philanthropic Service for Institutions Adventist World Headquarters (Silver Spring, Maryland)

"It was a pleasure to read Ms. Lysakowski's book, which outlines the roles of volunteers in the art of fundraising. Linda has woven the guidance of the great masters of philanthropy and volunteer management partnered with her extensive life experience. This is a must-have resource for development officers and nonprofit leadership essential for both volunteers and management. I especially liked the 'In the Real World' examples of concepts in action that could be implemented locally."
--Ann H. Moffitt, CFRE, Vice President of Community Development Keystone Human Services, and CEO, Keystone Partnership (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania)

"Research and practice tell us that organizations that engage volunteers in fundraising have more sustained success, even in tough times. This book is a substantive contribution to the literature of volunteer fundraisers, and it reminds us of the honorable role of volunteers in fundraising, even in this time of the growing professionalization of staff fundraising."
--Timothy L. Seiler, PhD, CFRE, Director Public Service and The Fund Raising School, Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University (Indianapolis, Indiana)

Few needs are more important to a nonprofit organization than funding for operating costs. In this new directory, nonprofits and other organizations seeking grants and funding opportunities to support general operating expenses will find over 1,300 current operating grants--organized by state--with contact and requirement information for each. Three user-friendly indexes (subject, sponsor, and geographic restriction) help grantseekers quickly find the ideal funding opportunity. All types of nonprofit organizations can benefit: - Arts and humanities - Community development - Health care - Children and youth - Education. Each entry includes: - Grant title - Sponsor name and address - Contact information (name and title, telephone and fax numbers, e-mail and Web site addresses) - Requirements and restrictions (where available) - Sample awards (where applicable) - Sponsor's areas of interest.

In this bracing history, Kathleen D. McCarthy explores the impact of philanthropy-both giving and volunteerism-on America from 1700 to 1865. What results is a vital reevaluation of public life during the pivotal decades leading up to the Civil War. By exploring the relationships between the market, the state, and the voluntary sphere, McCarthy demonstrates how these elements interacted to change our government-and the course of history. Donors, volunteers, and 'nonprofit entrepreneurs' all left a distinctive imprint on American charities, educational patronage, struggles against slavery and racism, female campaigns for equality, and wartime imperatives. In the process, McCarthy uncovers the pivotal role of philanthropy in the story of America's continuous pursuit to fulfill our founding ideals.
"A tour de force. . . . [Modern donors] should all read American Creed to be reminded of the traditional impulses and motives that inspired earlier American philanthropists, large and small, to use their money aggressively in the creation and defense of social justice."--Mark Dowie, Los Angeles Times
"While her riveting history of civil society from the founding to the Civil War focuses on philanthropy and religion, it is laced with keen insights into the place of civil disorder, repression, chivalry, and feminism in the American social order. This is history at its best. A work that is truly pertinent to our times."--Benjamin Barber

Volunteering involves many legal responsibilities and liabilities that you have probably never considered. Learn the basics of setting up your nonprofit corporation, and what to look for in maintaining an existing one. Travel a humorous, but serious journey with the Unknown Attorney as she takes you down the path she traveled full of subterfuge, fraud and deception. Find out what to look for when hiring coaches for your child's sports team, what to include in coaching contracts, how to terminate your coaches should a problem arise, and how to avoid what happened to one children's sport team's nonprofit corporation booster club. This is everything you never wanted to know, and everything you need to know about nonprofit corporations! The Unknown attorney has been practicing law for over twenty years and has been widely published in business law subjects.

Do You Want to Become a Volunteer but feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of organizations to choose from? Look no further than this revised edition of the bestselling book Make a Difference!
Complied and written by Arthur Blaustein, adjunct professor of social and urban policy at the University of California, Berkeley, and faculty advisor for its Americorps program, this guide offers valuable information for everyone inspired to give back to their communities. Make a Difference will help you find innumerable opportunities to put your expertise and talents to good use.
This revised and expanded guide includes more than 185 national, nonprofit organizations that use volunteers of all ages to make a difference where it counts. Make a Difference also lists 30 organizations that give up-to-date information on critical issues and policies. Whether you want to tutor a child or an adult, promote a cause you care about, or get hands-on experience at an organization's headquarters, Make a Difference will inspire you to get out there and make a difference in your community— and your life.