Describes giving circles and how they work to meet social needs and solve community problems and examines the role of philanthropy in democratic society.

A "one size fits all" strategy is not effective when it comes to philanthropy and fundraising in today's diversified environment. This book enables nonprofit leaders, board members, staff, and volunteers of nonprofit organizations to better reach diverse populations and incorporate perspectives that increase success by surveying the cultural context for philanthropic action. Diversity and Philanthropy: Expanding the Circle of Giving is a concise, accessible, and research-backed resource that explains the traditions of philanthropy—an invaluable tool given the proliferation of global nongovernmental organizations that affect every aspect of society in every country. Author Lilya Wagner has worked across the globe as fundraising and nonprofit organizations proliferated in the last 25 years. This book is an outgrowth of her extensive research as well as an accumulation of her professional interactions in the field and real-world knowledge. The book begins with an overview of culture and its influence on generosity and then examines the global increase of attention on diversity in giving. Chapters address specific cultural and ethnic groups; the traditions of their countries of origin; what influences their giving in North America; and characteristics that are inherent in culture, such as religion and attitudes about family. The book concludes with an insightful discussion of how to be a culturally proficient professional. An extensive listing of resources—including research on various aspects and angles of the topic, and surveys on giving both in North America and globally—makes it easy for those who want to pursue related topics in more detail.

Women & Philanthropy Women's philanthropy has led the way in virtually reinventing the world of fundraising and ways of giving. When women make a gift, are in a leadership position, or volunteer their time to a nonprofit or charitable organization, they tend to base their efforts on solid principles such as compassion, values, vision, and responsibility. Women are increasingly engaged in giving circles, global giving, transformative gifts, entrepreneurial giving, faith-based giving, family and couple giving, and social change gifts. Based on extensive interviews and the authors' combined half century of experience, Women and Philanthropy shares new ways to better engage women in giving, as well as insights into developing women leaders in the nonprofit arena, and advises women seeking to develop as philanthropic leaders and shape the future for the better. Women and Philanthropy explores women's philanthropic endeavors, offering a wealth of information on key topics such as how and why women give, what it takes to develop a gender-sensitive fundraising program, how to develop a strategic plan to involve women as leaders and donors, and suggestions for working with women of wealth.

Gold Medal Winner; Philanthropy, Charities, and Nonprofits; 2012 Axiom Business Book Awards Giving 2.0 is the ultimate resource for anyone navigating the seemingly infinite ways one can give. The future of philanthropy is far more than just writing a check, and Giving 2.0 shows how individuals of every age and income level can harness the power of technology, collaboration, innovation, advocacy, and social entrepreneurship to take their giving to the next level and beyond. Major gifts may dominate headlines, but the majority of giving still comes from individual households—ordinary people with extraordinary generosity. Even in 2009, at a time of deep recession, individual giving averaged almost $2,000 per household and drove 82% of the $300 billion donated that same year. Based on her vast experience as a philanthropist, academic, volunteer, and social innovator, Arrillaga-Andreessen shares the most effective techniques she herself pilots and studies and a vast portfolio of lessons learned during her lifetime of giving. Featuring dozens of stories on innovative and powerful methods of how individuals give time, money, and expertise—whether volunteering and fundraising, leveraging technology and social media, starting a giving circle, fund, foundation, or advocacy group, or aspiring to create greater social impact—Giving 2.0 shows readers how they can renew, improve, and expand their giving and reach their fullest potential. A practical, entertaining, and inspiring call to action, Giving 2.0 is an indispensable tool for anyone passionate about creating change in our world.

You don't need to start a nonprofit! With a giving circle, you can support any cause you care about. The Women's Giving Circle Guide is a hands-on manual for any woman who wants to make a difference in her community or the world in just a few hours per month. Authors Rando and Hayden are co-founders of a highly successful giving circle, and in this guide, they share every detail of how to launch and operate a thriving circle of your own. Whether you want to fund a neighborhood project or support a global cause, this book will show you how to use a giving circle to achieve your philanthropic goal. Giving circles are one of the easiest and fastest ways to engage in philanthropy, and this book describes step-by-step the process of creating and running your own circle. You will learn why there's no need to set up a nonprofit organization in order to fund a charitable cause, how to gather a community of like-minded women into an ongoing circle, and all the essentials needed to get started quickly. The book provides detailed instructions for every step, from recruiting volunteers to acknowledging donations. Also included are samples and templates for all the tools you will need to launch and operate a giving circle of your own, including forms, emails, flyers, and much more. The authors share freely of their own giving circle experiences, enhancing the book with anecdotes and examples. Comprehensive and highly practical, The Women's Giving Circle Guide will energize you to get your own circle started, and begin reaping the rewards of knowing you've made a significant contribution to the cause you most care about.

Decolonizing Wealth is a provocative analysis of the dysfunctional colonial dynamics at play in philanthropy and finance. Award-winning philanthropy executive Edgar Villanueva draws from the traditions from the Native way to prescribe the medicine for restoring balance and healing our divides. Though it seems counterintuitive, the philanthropic industry has evolved to mirror colonial structures and reproduces hierarchy, ultimately doing more harm than good. After 14 years in philanthropy, Edgar Villanueva has seen past the field's glamorous, altruistic façade, and into its shadows: the old boy networks, the savior complexes, and the internalized oppression among the “house slaves,” and those select few people of color who gain access. All these funders reflect and perpetuate the same underlying dynamics that divide Us from Them and the haves from have-nots. In equal measure, he denounces the reproduction of systems of oppression while also advocating for an orientation towards justice to open the floodgates for a rising tide that lifts all boats. In the third and final section, Villanueva offers radical provocations to funders and outlines his Seven Steps for Healing. With great compassion—because the Native way is to bring the oppressor into the circle of healing—Villanueva is able to both diagnose the fatal flaws in philanthropy and provide thoughtful solutions to these systemic imbalances. Decolonizing Wealth is a timely and critical book that preaches for mutually assured liberation in which we are all inter-connected.

The benefits and importance of Socratic seminars are widely recognized, but little has been written on how to make them happen successfully in the classroom. In Socratic Circles: Fostering Critical and Creative Thinking in Middle and High School , author Matt Copeland provides real-world examples and straightforward answers to frequent questions. He creates a coaching guide for both the teacher new to Socratic seminars and the experienced teacher seeking to optimize the benefits of this powerful strategy. Socratic Circles also shows teachers who are familiar with literature circles the many ways in which these two practices complement and extend each other. Effectively implemented, Socratic seminars enhance reading comprehension, listening and speaking skills, and build better classroom community and conflict resolution skills. By giving students ownership over the classroom discussion around texts, they become more independent and motivated learners. Ultimately, because there is a direct relationship between the level of participation and the richness of the experience, Socratic seminars teach students to take responsibility for the quality of their own learning. Filled with examples to help readers visualize the application of these concepts in practice, Socratic Circles includes transcripts of student dialogue and work samples of preparation and follow-up activities. The helpful appendices offer ready-to-copy handouts and examples, and suggested selections of text that connect to major literary works. As our classrooms and our schools grow increasingly focused on meeting high standards and differentiating instruction for a wide variety of student needs and learning styles, Socratic seminars offer an essential classroom tool for meeting these goals.Socratic Circles is a complete and practical guide to Socratic seminars for the busy classroom teacher.