BOOK: How We Give Now

How We Give Now is a call to re-imagine what we include in what is called philanthropy, since people do a whole lot more than just give money to charity. Lucy Bernholz makes 3 overall arguments:

1. What is called philanthropy in the US – $ to nonprofits – is only one piece of what people actually do. We also give time and data and we give them through mutual aid, politics, consumer choices, investing, etc. Bernholz tells stories of people doing these things well and provides tips on how readers can think about their choices.
2. We’re now giving data – a huge opportunity but one that needs careful consideration to be done equitably and avoid harm, and we can’t let big corps capture it (which they are, of course, trying to do). The thinking and planning here should be led by people of color, women, and people with disabilities – communities who have been most harmed in past. This gives us an opportunity to define both a new path for giving that is equity and justice centered and follow new pathbreakers. It includes considering what data shouldn’t be given (or even collected). Civil society must lead here.
3. Hey, if you take #2 and #1 together – It’s time to redefine philanthropy – and the book makes recommendations for advocacy groups, associations, foundations/nonprofits who are thinking ahead.

Awards

• 2022 PROSE category winner from the MIT Press: How We Give Now: A Philanthropic Guide for the Rest of Us, by Lucy Bernholz, is the category winner in economics. This title explores the everyday ways that we can give our money, our time, and even our data to help our communities and seek justice. Read the full announcement.

Endorsements

“I’m aiming for something different with this book. I want to bring people from all races, abilities, ages, and traditions into the center of the conversation to show how we give now: people making daily decisions about how to help others; using all of their resources to lift up their com- munities; using time, money, and data to advance causes; and people facing a dizzying array of giving choices with no guidance, only sales pitches. It’s these people who power change in the world. But it’s also these people whose choices about giving are ignored and devalued in current legal frameworks and incentive structures. Some of the choices being made by the majority of givers reflect their commitment to help and support others without questioning the broader political context. Others anchor their choices in commitments to collective well-being, or a vision of solidarity and abundance, or approaches that have sustained their communities and cultures for millennia. These visions and practices are legitimate in their own right, even as they are ignored or dismissed by laws, professional practices, and incentives of formal, financialized philanthropy. Recrafting the legal definitions and institutions to reflect and embrace this range of approaches would benefit all who participate. It might even mark a true effort to expand, dare I say democratize, philanthropy.”

Lucy Bernholz

Read the reviews

Mentions in the Media

• The Seattle Times: An author’s reminder: Philanthropy isn’t defined by money
• The Chronicle of Philanthropy: Philanthropy Isn’t Defined by Money: Stanford Scholar Writes About the Generosity of the Working Class
• Foreign Affairs: How We Give Now: A Philanthropic Guide for the Rest of Us