Book Review By Joanne Fritz, About.com Feb 2009 For people first coming into contact with the nonprofit world, especially those accustomed to the ways of the business sector, nonprofit organizations can seem strange, with unfamiliar customs and methods. Willie Cheng…
REVIEWS “Book Review: Doing Good Well”, Knowledge@SMU, 8 Oct 2008 Those who are unprepared for Cheng’s characteristic boldness will find some of the book’s suggestions controversial, if not downright preposterous… As a penultimate treat to his readers, Cheng insightfully illustrates…
Cultural and structural issues have led the charity world to be less effective than what we might be used to in the commercial world. But the winds of change are blowing. The nonprofit sector is gradually and surely moving from…
As the largest and most controversial charity in Singapore for several years, the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) is replete with examples of nonprofit paradigms, and why they work or do not. The NKF saga refers to a July 2005 scandal…
Taking its name from the alphabet layout on the keyboard, the “Qwerty” effect has come to be used in the business world to describe the practice of continuing with outdated and sub-optimal, but perhaps “good enough,” methods. The reason for…
In our capitalist world, the rich get richer, the poor get poorer. Charity is meant to redress this uneven balance between rich and poor. Unfortunately, the gravitational forces that favor the well-off continue to do so in the charity world.…
In their search for financial sustainability, nonprofits are increasingly turning towards profits. Social enterprises, or businesses with a social mission offering a variety of products and services, are mushrooming. Despite the apparent unfair business advantage of grants, donations and widespread…
Social entrepreneurs effect systemic, large scale social change through innovative approaches. Studies of social entrepreneurs find and emphasize similarities with business entrepreneurs. But it is the one crucial difference between the two that determines their methods and impact – money.…
Today’s philanthropists are heeding Andrew Carnegie’s advice: Give away your fortune while you are still alive, or die rich and die disgraced. While the size of their mega giving has captured the public imagination, it is really the boldness and…
It is a common perception, both within and outside the nonprofit sector, that volunteers are simply no more than free labor. Such a view underestimates the true value of volunteerism. When you cut to the chase, it all boils down…