Summary

An honest assessment for how to determine your individual relationship with charitable giving in today's world

From world-renowned philanthropists Charles Bronfman and Jeffrey Solomon of the Andrea and Charles Bronfman Philanthropies comes a comprehensive guide on how to be a canny, street-smart, effective philanthropist, regardless of your income level. It is also a perfect companion for nonprofit program and development executives who would like to introduce donors to their work and their organizations.

Despite their critical importance to philanthropy, donors have few resources for solid information about making their gifts-deciding what type of gift to give, how to structure it, the tax implications, what level of follow-up and transparency they should ask for and expect, and countless other complexities. This book fills that vacuum and helps you gain a special understanding of philanthropy as a business undertaking as well as a deeply personal, reflective process.

Drawing on decades of experience, the authors offer a fresh, enlivening approach to the nonprofit enterprise that, too often, is undervalued and thought of as the province of the burnt-out and the overwhelmed. Along with its many candid insights and memorable anecdotes, The Art of Giving also offers instruction on how to create a business plan for giving that works for you.

Library Journal Review

Bronfman and Solomon (founder and president, respectively, Andrea and Charles Bronfman Philanthropies) set out to create an approach to philanthropy for everyone. They do not recommend which organizations to donate to but instead present strategies to help philanthropists pinpoint what types of organizations are most meaningful to them, determine what level of involvement they want, and help them plan their giving better. The authors begin by differentiating philanthropy, which they see as a new way of giving, from charity, which they see as the old way of giving. They then present three sections, "The Donor," "The Partners," and "The Gift," providing relevant examples on the topic, mostly from their own experiences. The fourth part of the book is an extensive list of resources on nonprofits that includes descriptions of organizations and their web sites. VERDICT The authors' straightforward explanations, particularly of types of gifts, help make their complicated topic simpler to understand. The book will provide some food for thought for anyone considering making charitable donations.-Elizabeth Nelson, UOP Lib., Des Plaines, IL (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.