Synopses & Reviews
This penetrating analysis of the inner workings of American philanthropic foundations focuses on the crucial role played by the men and women who create them. Philanthropyand#8217;s pre-eminent expert and critic, Waldemar Nielsen probes deeply into the intensely personal factors that are involved in donorsand#8217; decisions.
Giving practical advice for would-be founders and directors, Nielsen drives home his argument with an unusual series of case studies. Triumphs and tragedies are equally instructive in hi well-chosen philanthropic parables.
This book comes at a pivotal point in American philanthropy when there are 35,000 active American foundations with combined assets of $175 billion. Pointing to the massive individual wealth accumulation that occurred during the 1980s (there are now 64 American billionaires and 210,000 deca-millionaires), Nielsen predicts and#147;the number, assets, and grant making of American foundations will double by the first decade of the new century.and#8221;
Always providing specific examples, Nielsen details the pitfalls of traditional family foundations, the attractions of community foundations, the successes of women in philanthropy, and the achievements of both special- and general-interest foundations. As our troubled society faces cutbacks in government programs, Inside American Philanthropy will be a revelation for every citizen interested in our powerful and little-understood nonprofit institutions.
This book is essential reading for established donors and potential foundation creators, as well as legal and financial advisors working for wealthy families and foundations and fund-raisers for museums, churches, colleges, and other nonprofit organizations.
Synopsis
As our troubled society faces cutbacks in government programs, Inside American Philanthropy will be a revelation for every citizen interested in our powerful and little-understood nonprofit institutions. This book is essential reading for established donors and potential foundation creators, as well as legal and financial advisors working for wealthy families and foundations and fund-raisers for museums, churches, colleges, and other non-profit organizations.
About the Author
Waldemar A. Nielsen (1917-2005) worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture and served in World War II before joining the Ford Foundation in 1952. He was later elected president of the African-American Institute, a foundation beneficiary. Starting his own firm, Waldemar A. Nielsen, Inc., in 1970, he advised such prominent philanthropists as John D. Rockefeller III, The Big Foundations and The Golden Donors.