Book Reviews

Abstracts from the Catalog of Nonprofit Literature condense books down to a few sentences. To get a better sense of the items we collect, you might want to have a look at the Philanthropy News Digest's Off the Shelf feature.

The three most recent book reviews covered:

Transitioning to the Nonprofit Sector: Shifting Your Focus from the Bottom Line to a Better World

The Foundation: A Great American Secret: How Private Wealth Is Changing the World

Creating Change Through Family Philanthropy: The Next Generation

You would definitely want to read "The Foundation: A Great American Secret." It may very well be a classic in nonprofit literature, as noted in the review.

Please let me know where else you can find reviews of books related to the nonprofit sector.

Best Practice Guides for Grantmakers

I can think of two sets of best practice guides that grantmakers should be aware of. The first series, "Practice Matters: The Improving Philanthropy Project" is published online by the Foundation Center and available at no charge from the Center's Web site. The guides discuss best practices in ten areas, including policy commissions, intermediaries, community change, attracting and managing talent, creativity in grantmaking, organizational capacity, communications, partnerships, and evaluation.

Another key series, "Grantcraft: Practical Wisdom for Grantmakers," is published by the Ford Foundation and is also available free online (registration required). Recent guides covered executive transitions and program-related investments. We have just cataloged the new pamphlet "Grantmaking With A Racial Equity Lens" which explains how important it is for funders to be aware of race and ethnicity issues as they develop strategies and polices. Learn more about the series at: http://www.grantcraft.org

New International Grantmaker Directory

For grantseekers interested in funders in the Asia, Chapel & York released this month the first directory of grantmakers for that region. The volume profiles more than 900 grantmakers in 19 Asia Pacific countries: Australia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Tibet and Vietnam. I have added the new publication to the Foundation Center's Topical Resource List: International Directories of Foundations. Please let me know if you hear about new international directories we may be unaware of.


Holly, Karina (ed.). Directory of Asia Pacific Grantmakers. Lingfield, Great Britain: Chapel & York Limited. 2007. 279 p.

Nonprofit Board Videos

I usually write about new books and articles, but it's worth noting that our library has acquired a few good videos for nonprofit boards. On Thursday, June 19th, the Foundation Center will be presenting "Building A Long-Range Plan" at our New York location as part of our Film Series. Board development expert Dan Cain explains how to develop a long-term plan for your organization. He discusses the purpose of planning, who to involve in the process, developing a mission statement, reviewing and tracking the plan, and other topics:

Cain Consulting Group. Building a Long-Range Plan [video recording]. Hawarden, IA: Cain Consulting Group. 2006. 45 minutes.

Pharmaceutical Companies: In-Kind Giving

In an earlier post, we told you about a Foundation Center mini-report on Corporate Foundations that included a note about the increase in product donations. In its one-year anniversary issue, Contribute magazine further explores the growth of in-kind giving by pharmaceutical companies, noting the tax benefits that the firms receive. While many have benefited from the donations, drug quality and oversupply issues remain. The author reminds individual donors to carefully research charities that receive drug donations, suggesting key questions to ask.

Berg, Stacie Z. "Pill-anthropy". Contribute vol. 2 (May-June 2007) p. 29-30.

Contact Contribute to obtain the issue or find it at the Foundation Center Library in New York.

New Tax Structure for Social Enterprises?

The Aspen Institute recently reported ideas and questions raised at a meeting titled "Exploring New Legal Forms and Tax Structures for Social Enterprise Organizations." Many leaders of the business and nonprofit worlds see organizations emerging that combine charitable missions and corporate methods. Issues raised include what model to use for new organizations, how to adapt existing laws to the changing environment, and current efforts in the field:

Billitteri, Thomas J. Mixing Mission and Business: Does Social Enterprise Need a New Legal Approach? Washington, DC: Aspen Institute. 2007. iv, 18 p. Full Text (PDF)

Mission Investing

Did you know that in addition to making grants, foundations can also used financial investments to advance their missions? These investments include market-rate investments, as well as below market-rate investments (such as program-related investments). Learn more from this new report from the FSG consulting group:

Cooch, Sarah; Kramer, Mark. Compounding Impact: Mission Investing by U.S. Foundations. Boston, MA: FSG Social Impact Advisors. 2007. 54 p. Full Text (PDF)

New Foundation Center Report: Corporate Foundations

Giving by corporate foundations rose an estimated 6 percent in 2006 to a record $4.2 billion, according to Key Facts on Corporate Foundations. Increased giving is expected in 2007 as well: 57 percent of those surveyed said they expect to give more again this year. In a separate development, a handful of pharmaceutical manufacturers continued to ramp up their giving through operating foundations, with support from these and other corporate-sponsored operating foundations totaling nearly $3.2 billion in 2005. Full Report (PDF)