December 9, 2004 | Read Time: 2 minutes
Challenges for Nonprofits and Philanthropy: The Courage to Change
by Pablo Eisenberg
Pablo Eisenberg, a long-time observer of the philanthropic field, calls himself a “cynical optimist,” enthusiastic about the promise of nonprofit organizations to solve society’s problems but also keenly aware of the challenges they face. This book, edited by Stacy Palmer, editor of The Chronicle of Philanthropy, brings together speeches and essays of the past 30 years, many of which first appeared in this publication, along with new articles that both look at the shortcomings of the nonprofit world and recommend a strengthened and expanded role for charities.
Mr. Eisenberg, founder of the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy and a senior fellow at the Georgetown University Public Policy Institute, prefaces the book with an analysis of the difficulties facing the nonprofit world today. He argues that charities shy away from activism and that narrow agendas have handicapped their effectiveness. He also warns that foundation leaders suffer from a lack of courage and creativity in their grant making and are too often ignorant of the concerns and needs of their recipients. The essay calls on those in the nonprofit field to abandon their “gutlessness” and to speak out, to lead, and to democratize their institutions.
Much of Mr. Eisenberg’s writing focuses on how government must help to make foundations more transparent and accountable. He argues that the Internal Revenue Service should be more active in policing philanthropic organizations and that Congress should enact laws that help to eliminate abuses and loopholes.
Mr. Eisenberg’s essays over the last several decades have repeatedly questioned the wisdom of incorporating business techniques and values into the nonprofit field. He has meanwhile sharply criticized those who would use public wealth for personal gain. His articles about the United Way of America scandal of the 1990s, for example, describe the repercussions for the organization after its head, William Aramony, was found to be embezzling funds. Mr. Eisenberg has since called on the United Way and other charities to take dramatic steps to regain the confidence of the public.
The book also incorporates essays on several prominent philanthropists as a way of illustrating the potential of philanthropy to do good and offering insights for navigating the field’s future challenges.
Publisher: Tufts University Press, 37 Lafayette Street, Lebanon, N.H. 03766-1446; (800) 421-1561; fax (603) 643-1540; http://www.upne.com; 242 pages; $29.95; ISBN 1-58465-421-X.
