Civil Society -- Begging for Change -- a
conversation with Robert Egger
From an article in the Stanford Social Innovation Review:
In Begging for Change, Robert Egger looks back on his experience
and exposes the startling lack of logic, waste, and ineffectiveness he has
encountered during his years in the nonprofit sector, and calls for reform
of this $800 billion industry from the inside out. In his entertaining and
inimitable way, he weaves stories from his days in music, when he
encountered legends such as Sarah Vaughan, Mel Torme, and Iggy Pop, together
with stories from his experiences in the hunger movement -- and recently as
volunteer interim director to help clean up the beleaguered United Way
National Capital Area. He asks for nonprofits to be more innovative and
results-driven, for corporate and nonprofit leaders to be more focused and
responsible, and for citizens who contribute their time and money to be
smarter and more demanding of nonprofits and what they provide in return.
Robert's appeal to common sense will resonate with readers who are tired of
hearing the same nonprofit fund-raising appeals and pity-based messages.
Instead of asking the "who" and "what" of giving, he leads the way in asking
the "how" and "why" in order to move beyond our 19th-century concept of
charity, and usher in a 21st-century model of change and reform for
nonprofits.
In Begging for Change, Robert Egger looks back on his experience
and exposes the startling lack of logic, waste, and ineffectiveness he has
encountered during his years in the nonprofit sector, and calls for reform
of this $800 billion industry from the inside out. In his entertaining and
inimitable way, he weaves stories from his days in music, when he
encountered legends such as Sarah Vaughan, Mel Torme, and Iggy Pop, together
with stories from his experiences in the hunger movement -- and recently as
volunteer interim director to help clean up the beleaguered United Way
National Capital Area. He asks for nonprofits to be more innovative and
results-driven, for corporate and nonprofit leaders to be more focused and
responsible, and for citizens who contribute their time and money to be
smarter and more demanding of nonprofits and what they provide in return.
Robert's appeal to common sense will resonate with readers who are tired of
hearing the same nonprofit fund-raising appeals and pity-based messages.
Instead of asking the "who" and "what" of giving, he leads the way in asking
the "how" and "why" in order to move beyond our 19th-century concept of
charity, and usher in a 21st-century model of change and reform for
nonprofits.