We recently asked the Exponent Philanthropy community to share books that have influenced their giving. Here are some of their responses:
- Inspirational and beautifully written, However Long the Night: Molly Melching’s Journey to Help Millions of African Women and Girls Triumph is a passionate entreaty for all global citizens. This book is published in partnership with the Skoll Foundation, dedicated to accelerating innovations from organizations that address the world’s most pressing problems.
- In Managing the Non-profit Organization: Principles and Practices, management legend Peter Drucker provides excellent examples and explanations of mission, leadership, resources, marketing, goals, and much more. Interviews with nine experts also address key issues in this booming sector. If it is results-impact-you are after, here is the master’s voice on how to get there.
- I just started The Alternative: Most of What You Think about Poverty Is Wrong, which is promising to be thought-provoking.
- Evicted and The New Jim Crow are both excellent looks at how systemic barriers work against individuals based on race, income, and/or class status.
- Less issue-oriented and more leadership/personal development, I’ve gotten a lot out of Brene Brown’s Braving the Wildnerness (really, any of her books are excellent) and the updated version of Getting Things Done by David Allen.
- The Distraction Addiction is a great book on balancing the use of technology with time to be bored, space out, or just let the mind wander, which is when we get our best thinking done.
- A book that has thoughtful insight is Smart Risks. It is a book of 30 essays by 22 authors (funders) exploring responsive grantmaking focused on grassroots organizations.
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