Tag Archives: philanthropy

CauseWired by Tom Watson

CauseWired by Tom Watson: This is not a book I would have read had I not received it for my participation in Blog Action Day 2008. (Yes, I’ve had the book for a year and just now got around to reading it. That’s actually pretty good considering there was no deadline.) I’m not usually interested in current events books (that’s what the internet is for) or books about how OMG teh intarwebs are changing everything (ditto). But I also never pass up a free book, which has probably done more to broaden my horizons than any concerted effort on my part.

But that’s neither here nor there. The fact of the matter is that I would not have picked up this book on my own, but I’m glad I read it. It is more or less a discussion of the impact of social media (Web 2.0, Facebook, that kind of stuff) on philanthropy. From Hurricane Katrina to the 2008 US presidential campaign to a myriad of other internet start-up charities, there’s a whole lot of information in this relatively slim volume. I was particularly drawn in by the descriptions of Kiva and DonorsChoose, both of which are about reducing the middlemen between the donor and the receiver. I even made a loan on Kiva to Saret Sao in Cambodia. The idea of helping a specific person really appeals to me, and the knowledge of what exactly my money is doing makes me want to donate more. At worst, I don’t get my $25 back. I can deal with that. At best, I help a businesswoman grow her business. Which is awesome.

Some of the book bored me, such as the discussion of the 2008 presidential campaign. I suspect that might be because it’s too recent; I’m still tired of the nonstop politicking leading up to the election. The liberal bias was a touch irksome too, which is telling considering I voted for most of the candidates Watson was praising. (For example, where did he get the idea that Ron Paul was an anarchist? People who are truly anti-government don’t run for office under the banner of a major political party. They’d put all their cronies out of a job.) I suspect, being a blogger and a Twitterer and a Facebooker and (sort of) a “millennial” already, I am not the target audience anyway. But once elections were off the table, the rest of the book was surprisingly engaging, and made me want to do more research on my own. The list of links and references in the back alone are worth photocopying.

So in short: I’d recommend this book if you’re a jaded would-be philanthropist looking for new opportunities. Yes, the billionaire donors are still the world-changers, but slowly us ordinary guys are banding together and making a difference.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

Saving the World in your Spare Time by Laura Klotz

Saving the World in Your Spare Time is the perfect response to this all-too-common excuse: “I wish I could do something to help the environment/my community/charity/etc. but I just don’t have the time/money/energy/etc.” Klotz expects her readers to have very full plates to begin with, and her multitude of varied suggestions reflects this. Whether you want to help the homeless, animals, the environment, your community, or a host of other causes, there is something in this book for you, regardless of how much you can commit. The section on charitable and philanthropic websites is especially useful in this day and age, proving that yes, it really does only take a minute to change a life. Perhaps more importantly, this book is very accessible. The guilt trips so common in other books of this genre are nowhere to be found. Saving the World in Your Spare Time is brief and direct, and Klotz’s conversational tone gives the impression of getting advice from an old friend. I highly recommend this book.

Also posted on Bookcrossing.

© 2010-2024 kate weber All Rights Reserved -- Copyright notice by Blog Copyright