Recommended Reading
Looking to Expand Your Philanthropic Savvy?
Project Redwood partners suggest these articles and websites.
A viral stunt unlocks secrets about how we give to charity.
--Beth Gibson Sawi
The Ice-Bucket Racquet
New York Times, November 14, 2014
Researchers have consistently demonstrated — to absolutely no one’s surprise — that we are prone to doling out cash for reasons that are indeed self-interested. We like to enhance our reputations, for instance, or avoid the social stigma of falling behind others in our peer group. Thankfully, though, we’re not quite as selfish as classical economists assume...
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Amy Minella and I were inspired by Nicholas Kristof when he spoke at an event in New York. He and his wife have written several insightful books, this one is the latest.
--Joan O'Connell Agresta
A Path Appears: Transforming Lives, Creating Opportunities
Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn,
Alfred A. Knopf, Publisher
Reviewed in the New York Times, October 16, 2014
Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn show you, through many amazing vignettes matched with serious evidence, that you can make a difference to the lives of people trapped in misery...
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These articles contain some interesting insights on combining social entrepreneurship and for-profit enterprises.
--DJ Crane
Planting for Profit, and Greater Good
New York Times, June 7, 2014
Jason Aramburu's plan for his business goes beyond enabling people in upscale ZIP codes to cultivate things like exotic kale and heirloom beets. He also intends to sell sensors to farmers in developing nations at a low cost to help them grow food more efficiently and sustainably...
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Donors Give More When They have a Sense of Belonging
New York Times, July 5, 2014
Fortunately, charities now have a chance to look at some new organizational paths to giving, some of which have benefited from research in behavioral economics...
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Note the argument posed by Yale Economics professor Dean Karlan on the impact that small dollar amounts have on extreme poverty, which underscores Project Redwood's mission and strategic direction.
--Ken Inadomi
Making a Difference in This Season of Giving
The New York Times, December 6, 2013
You may be re-evaluating just how much to give to charitable causes and where to donate...
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I recommend these articles on how misreported or underfunded management costs can be perpetuated in the grant funding process.
--Ann Thoke Espy
How Did We Get Here in the First Place?
Stanford Graduate School of Business Center for Social Innovation, October 1, 2013
Lately there has been a lot of discussion around the letter issued by Guidestar, et al to “correct the overhead myth" and redirect attention to indicators that are more accurate measures of nonprofit effectiveness...
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The Nonprofit Starvation Cycle
Stanford Social Innovation Review, Fall 2009
Organizations that build robust infrastructure...are more likely to succeed than those that do not...
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Bill Gate's article makes a succinct, compelling case for setting goals, measuring results, and refining the approach to have the greatest impact on poverty.
--Rich Jerdonek
Bill Gates: My Plan to Fix The World's Biggest Problems
The Wall Street Journal, January 25, 2013
In the past year, I have been struck by how important measurement is to improving the human condition...
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