The New Philanthropists

by Charles B. Handy, Elizabeth Handy

A new generation of practical philanthropists are uncovered in this inspiring account from eminent management writer and business guru Charles Handy. The new philanthropists are men and women who have made their own fortunes and decided to move on from financial success to aiding those in need. They are doing so not simply by giving their money away to charities and agencies but by helping actively, working on the spot with those who need their aid, and ensuring that their initiatives are sustainable in the long term. This new wave of good-doers includes the Sydney restaurateur Jeff Gambin, who personally helps to cook hot and cold menus for homeless people; Niall Mellon, a young Irish property developer who is replacing shacks in a South African township with breeze-block homes; and Sara Davenport, who sold her art gallery and set up a breast-cancer care center to offer integrated, holistic treatment and support. These captivating interviews and the stories they tell will encourage and inspire.

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Charles Brian Handy was an Irish author and philosopher who specialised in organizational behavior and management. Among the ideas he advanced are the "portfolio career" and the "shamrock organization" (in which professional core workers, freelance workers and part-time/temporary routine workers each form one leaf of the "shamrock").
Handy was rated among the Thinkers 50, a private list of the most influential living management thinkers. In 2001, he was second on this list, behind Peter Drucker, and in 2005, he was tenth. When the Harvard Business Review had a special issue to mark the publication's 50th anniversary Handy, Peter Drucker, and Henry Mintzberg were asked to write special articles.
In July 2006, Handy was conferred with an honorary Doctor of Law by Trinity College Dublin.

Reviews

[Georgia · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's not often I'll review a book, but I couldn't let this one pass me by.
This was a collection of pandering puff pieces on rich people, and how they spent their money building charities etc. There is virtually no insight, each chapter reads as a timeline that the subject would have written about themselves on their website. There is zero critique or comment or evidence that the work that these people gave their money/time to has had the promised effects/benefits.
This book is a waste of time and was written to make a small group of egotists feel even better about themselves.
Furthermore, only 2 out of the 25ish subjects were female, which is just a joke.

[Yi-Chen · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's really an inspiring book! There are several stories about how these philanthropists changed their ways to improve the world. Instead of donating money, the new philanthropists dedicate their lives to social entrepreneurship and want to be more involved. If you're interested in this book, I would like to recommend you one more book about social entrepreneurship: "How to Change the World (link to Amazon: http://ppt.cc/IeTF)".

[Haikaa Yamamoto · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inspiring!