Begging for Change : The Dollars and Sense of Making Nonprofits Responsive, Efficient, and Rewarding for All

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Summary: Amen to this Author!!
Review: Amen to this author! Mr. Egger shares what we've all needed to hear for quite sometime about effective social investment for real community change. As a native San Franciscan, I've witnessed two programs in the 'City by the Bay' that are based on the model program he founded 15 years ago: DC Central Kitchen. This book isn't a basic 'how to' but rather commands the reader to ask 'why?' 'for what purpose?' and 'to what end?' While I'd usually rather open a vein and sit in a warm tub of water than read most books of this ilk, Mr. Egger's book is well-written with insight, charm and a true understanding of the field.

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Summary: Eye-opening ideas and concepts for charitable work
Review: Author Robert Egger pokes holes in the failed logic that leads to waste and ineffectiveness in non-profits and provides some thoughtful ideas and alternatives in the cleverly-titled "Begging for Change." And he doesn't just criticize, he provides working examples of things that make non-profits do what they are intended to do--serve a segment of the public.

Egger had dreams of being, of all things, a nightclub owner (after seeing Casablanca at the ripe old age of 12.) On his way to realizing this dream while living in Washington, DC, he learned about poverty and hardship in our capital by working with his wife at a local soup kitchen with his wife. Not content to simply volunteer, Author Egger analyzed what works and what doesn't work with non-profit organizations. He realized how vital these charitable organizations were, not only in collecting money, but in filling gaps in services that government organizations can't seem to do efficiently or well or..at all. For example, Egger mentions that anyone setting up a non-profit has to consider some fine points about their potential clientele. The working poor--those who earn $10 an hour in a city where $16 an hour is a living wage, are at work during weekday business hours (duh!.) So why, then, is the food pantry open a few weekdays only, from 10am til 2pm? A working person has no chance of ever availing themselves of the service. If someone is earning less-than-a-living wage, and if he or she doesn't qualify for food stamps, the pantry is unavailable to them and they remain hungry. Egger provides essential advice to non-profits to avoid missing the boat in this sad way.

And it's not just about raising money and having a good relationship with a corporate sponsor. On the way to serving a cause, sometimes the needs of the cause are forgotten in the flurry of activity to collect funds. Egger uses the Washington soup kitchen where he is founder and president as an example--they serve food, yes, but they also do job training--and even catering.

If you believe in charity, if you volunteer for an organization or are thinking of starting a non-profit, this is a must-read.

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Summary: The Big Cheezy or Self-Promotion 101
Review: Clever at times but will not set the philanthropy field afire. A few (too many?) cute anecdotes but little substance and barely any quality research. Seems to be more about self-promotion than self-less acts. Remember when carob was going to replace chocolate as a healthy and nutritious treat? Remember that carob never quite hit the spot? Remember how carob always left a slightly bad aftertaste in your mouth? This book has the same unimpressive effect.

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Summary: Pulls no punches...
Review: Deceptively simple, Eggers basically offers a challenge for businesses, foundations, individuals, governments, and yes, nonprofits to stop thinking of the nonprofit community as merely the recipients of our charity and start seeing them as real - and accountable - agents for social change.
This is the kind of book I normally avoid like the plague, a book purporting to offer a solution for social issues in 200 pages or less. But Egger's pugnacious prose makes sure that we understand that he knows he doesn't have all the answers, but that sitting back bemoaning the complexity of the issues is letting someone else set the agenda for what our society looks like.
Innovate or die, he challenges the nonprofit community. Don't start throwing millions of dollars into "charity work," he challenges the business community, if you aren't paying your own employees a living wage. Ask what impact your work is having, he challenges volunteers, and focus your efforts on making something happen, not just making yourself feel good.
Egger's book is thoughtful and engaging...and you get the feeling that he finds out you're not doing as you should, he would have no reservations calling you out at high noon, guns drawn.

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Summary: Where's the Research?
Review: He contradicted himself so many times, I felt like I was on a merry-go-round. (Just as an example, he says at one point that nonprofits claim that they could do better if they had more money, but that this isn't true. Plenty of money is out there. Later, he says that only the government can possibly fund the things that are required to acheive real change. Huh?!!)He also doesn't back up anything he says with real examples or evidence. (Example: He talks about how capital campaigns take money away from other organizations, but where are his examples? I sure don't know of any. The reality is that many funders don't fund capital campaigns at all and the ones that do set aside money for that purpose. I think that most experienced fundraisers and grant makers know this.)
I've worked in the nonprofit world for a little while now, and he didn't say the one of the most important things that I have learned to be true. The best leaders are usually the ones you haven't heard about. They do their work without glory-seeking or attention.
Every now and again he says some things that are true but I felt more like I was reading the work of some overly idealistic college kid. He also uses examples of real organizations anonymously but anyone who lives in the DC area knows who he's really talking about. And he doesn't always keep his facts straight.

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Summary: Reasoned giving, creativity, and a systems approach
Review: Mr. Egger disputes the convention wisdom about why people should make charitable gifts and how those gifts should be used by the recipient organizations. As an attorney who represents non-profit boards and individuals contemplating major charitable donations, I have given Robert Egger's book "Begging for Change" to both groups of clients. The universal response has been extremely positive. Mr. Egger not only encourages donors to think through the goals and directions of their largesse but also challenges non-profit executives to use their creativity and a systems approach to improve the delivery and multiplier effect of their charitable services. Too often donors just write a check to feel good and non-profit executives do the "same old, same old" with no effect. Random acts of kindness are good, but reasoned giving coupled with creativity and a systems approach are better.

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Summary: Reasoned giving, creativity, and a systems approach
Review: Mr. Egger disputes the convention wisdom about why people should make charitable gifts and how those gifts should be used by the recipient organizations. As an attorney who represents non-profit boards and individuals contemplating major charitable donations, I have given Robert Egger's book "Begging for Change" to both groups of clients. The universal response has been extremely positive. Mr. Egger not only encourages donors to think through the goals and directions of their largesse but also challenges non-profit executives to use their creativity and a systems approach to improve the delivery and multiplier effect of their charitable services. Too often donors just write a check to feel good and non-profit executives do the "same old, same old" with no effect. Random acts of kindness are good, but reasoned giving coupled with creativity and a systems approach are better.

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Summary: A Must-Read for Investors in Social Change
Review: Mr. Egger gives capital insight into the workings of nonprofits, as evidenced by his own work in the founding of DC Central Kitchen and programs across the United States. Not merely a book about "doing good work" but about "doing work that is good." A must-read for those who are, or hope to be, stakeholders in community change, providing much needed and practical lessons in social investment.

Rating:
Summary: A Must-Read for Investors in Social Change
Review: Mr. Egger gives capital insight into the workings of nonprofits, as evidenced by his own work in the founding of DC Central Kitchen and programs across the United States. Not merely a book about "doing good work" but about "doing work that is good." A must-read for those who are, or hope to be, stakeholders in community change, providing much needed and practical lessons in social investment.

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Summary: Begging for People to Read This
Review: Robert Egger has written a compelling and provocative account of the way nonprofit organizations operate and what they need to do to change. His book is both inspirational and highly readable, and it provides a detailed blueprint for those who work everyday in service to their communities. It is also the story of an extrodinary program in the Nation's Capital -- the D.C. Central Kitchen, a model of best practices for leaders in the public and nonprofit world. I will use Egger's engaging book in my classes on Leadership and Nonprofit Management, and recommend it highly to all my colleagues in the field. A great read!