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Books > Social sciences > Sociology, social studies > Social work > Charities & voluntary services
What if the work of social change was abundant? It can be. What if,
instead of being exhausted, worn out, disillusioned, and depressed,
you were energized and inspired by your important work as a social
change leader? What if you were surrounded by endless supporters
helping to move your work forward? What if money flowed easily and
endlessly to you and your organization? What if the social change
you envision happened easily and joyfully? All of this-and more-is
within your grasp. In Reinventing Social Change, author, speaker,
and consultant Nell Edgington offers a bold new roadmap to
overcoming the unfair and limiting system in which social change
leaders have operated for too long. Through case studies,
exercises, and practical tools, she shows you how to reclaim your
power, kiss scarcity goodbye, and attract all the money and people
necessary to achieve the social change you offer. An invaluable
guide for nonprofit leaders, philanthropists, community activists,
board members, social entrepreneurs, and government decision-makers
alike, Reinventing Social Change is a critical roadmap for social
change leaders who will lead the reinvention of our broken systems
into ones that are stronger, healthier, and more equitable.
Our faith is centered around giving and offering support, yet our
belief about those who need "help" must be reexamined. Philanthropy
is steeped in myths that hurt communities of color rather than help
them. Many current philanthropic strategies fail because they
neglect the experience, wisdom, and gifts of those receiving
"help," and prioritize and perpetuate false myths. These myths fuel
deficit-based models of philanthropy that do not work and will not
change poverty.Froswa' Booker-Drew offers a solution that
transforms philanthropy at individual and collective levels.
Eliminating common myths and misinterpretations can bring about a
more effective model of philanthropy-one that relies on a
community's social, human, and cultural capital and champions the
insights and strengths of those being served. In addition, the
voices of those most impacted by philanthropy must be included in
board membership, program development, leadership in nonprofits,
and charitable giving. Empowering Charity serves as catalyst and
conversation starter for tolerance and authentic inclusion in our
workplaces, organizations, and communities. Booker-Drew supplies
strategies for involving those who are often unknown, overlooked,
or viewed as "other," strategies that will have a collective impact
in the community of God and transform philanthropy to highlight
God's love for all people and effect real change.
Philanthropy is everywhere. In 2013, in the United States alone,
some $330 billion was recorded in giving, from large donations by
the wealthy all the way down to informal giving circles. We tend to
think of philanthropy as unequivocally good, but as the
contributors to this book show, philanthropy is also an exercise of
power. And like all forms of power, especially in a democratic
society, it deserves scrutiny. Yet it rarely has been given serious
attention. This book fills that gap, bringing together expert
philosophers, sociologists, political scientists, historians, and
legal scholars to ask fundamental and pressing questions about
philanthropy's role in democratic societies. The contributors
balance empirical and normative approaches, exploring both the
roles philanthropy has actually played in societies and the roles
it should play. They ask a multitude of questions: When is
philanthropy good or bad for democracy? How does, and should,
philanthropic power interact with expectations of equal citizenship
and democratic political voice? What makes the exercise of
philanthropic power legitimate? What forms of private activity in
the public interest should democracy promote, and what forms should
it resist? Examining these and many other topics, the contributors
offer a vital assessment of philanthropy at a time when its power
to affect public outcomes has never been greater.
The charitable sector is one of the fastest-growing industries in
the global economy. Nearly half of the more than 85,000 private
foundations in the United States have come into being since the
year 2000. Just under 5,000 more were established in 2011 alone.
This deluge of philanthropy has helped create a world where
billionaires wield more power over education policy, global
agriculture, and global health than ever before. In No Such Thing
as a Free Gift, author and academic Linsey McGoey puts this new
golden age of philanthropy under the microscope-paying particular
attention to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. As large
charitable organizations replace governments as the providers of
social welfare, their largesse becomes suspect. The businesses
fronting the money often create the very economic instability and
inequality the foundations are purported to solve. We are entering
an age when the ideals of social justice are dependent on the
strained rectitude and questionable generosity of the mega-rich.
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