Contents The accidental activist -- Where do you begin? -- So, why are you volunteering? -- Does anyone need your help? -- Who needs your help? -- How big a commitment do you want to make? -- Who do you want to help? -- How do you want to help? -- What do you want to do? -- Where do you rank in the volunteer army? -- A special word for families -- A special word for schools -- A special word for faith groups -- A short word for businesses -- A short word for retirees -- A short word for those between assignments -- A few words about "the holidays" -- Where are you going to help? -- Managing expectations -- Ten ways to be a good volunteer -- Ten ways to be a bad volunteer -- When bad volunteering happens to good people -- When good volunteering happens to bad people -- Money: giving it, getting it -- How to get people to help you (individuals) -- How to get people to help you help (groups) -- The perils of the trade -- It's all good -- Appendix: fifty-two ways you can help in the coming year -- Resources

Summary "When asked simple questions about global trends--what percentage of the world's population live in poverty; why the world's population is increasing; how many girls finish school -- we systematically get the answers wrong. So wrong that a chimpanzee choosing answers at random will consistently outguess teachers, journalists, Nobel laureates, and investment bankers. Professor and TED presenter Hans Rosling, together with his two long-time collaborators, Anna and Ola, offers a radical explanation of why this happens. They reveal the ten instincts that distort our perspective, from our tendency to divide the world into two camps (usually some version of us and them) to the way we consume media (where fear rules) to how we perceive progress (believing that most things are getting worse). Our problem is that we don't know what we don't know, and even our guesses are informed by unconscious and predictable biases. It turns out that the world, for all its imperfections, is in a much better state than we might think. That doesn't mean there aren't real concerns. But when we worry about everything all the time instead of embracing a worldview based on facts, we can lose our ability to focus on the things that threaten us most."-- Provided by publisher.

Many of us have the desire to make a difference. But when it comes down to it, how many really know what steps to take and how to fit philanthropy into our lives.The Generosity Planshows readers the unexpected benefits and joys of generosity in our daily lives. This smart, practical guide to philanthropy illuminates the power of giving by helping readers to discover what inspires them, clarify what he or she can afford to give, and direct that generosity toward a better world.Contributing time or money to causes far removed from the immediacy of our individual lives may feel overwhelming, especially in times of financial stress and uncertainty. Author Kathy LeMay breaks through these initial roadblocks to give easy and valuable tools to spur definite and rewarding action, demonstrating how our time, treasure, and talents can make a world of difference. By building and acting on a generosity plan, each one of us can create change simply by doing what we can, where we are, with what we have.

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Get ready to question everything you've been told about charity, and to find out how you can truly succeed at making the world a better place. Many of us donate to charitable causes, and millions more work or volunteer for non-profit organizations. Yet virtually none of us have been taught what it means to succeed at doing good, let alone how to do so. In short, we've never been encouraged to treat charity with the seriousness and rigor it deserves. How to be Great at Doing Good is a complacency-shattering guidebook for anyone who wants to actually change the world, whether as a donor, a volunteer, or a non-profit staffer.  Drawing on eye-opening studies in psychology and human behavior, surprising interviews with philanthropy professionals, and the author's fifteen years of experience founding and managing top-rated non-profits, this book is an essential read for anyone who wants to do more good with their time and money. Find out how Bill Gates and a team of MIT grads are saving thousands of lives by applying business principles to charity work - and how we can too Peer inside our brains as we donate, and discover how the same chemical forces that make us crave junk food and sex can steer us toward bad charity decisions See why following our passion and doing what we're good at can actually doom our efforts to improve the world Learn how two seemingly identical charities can have jaw-dropping differences in impact, and find out how to pick the best one when donating Sure to generate controversy among non-profits and philanthropists who prefer business as usual, How to be Great at Doing Good reveals that a more calculated, effective approach to charity work isn't just possible - it's absolutely necessary for those who want to succeed at changing the world. 

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Inspiring stories and quotes about generosity help readers spark their spirit of giving and energize them to make a difference in the world by coming to the aid of others and making someone else's day a little brighter.

Contents THE ARGUMENT. Saving a child -- Is it wrong not to help? -- Common objections to giving -- HUMAN NATURE. Why don't we give more? -- Creating a culture of giving -- THE FACTS ABOUT AID. How much does it cost to save a life, and how can you tell which charities do it best? -- Improving aid -- A NEW STANDARD FOR GIVING. Your child and the children of others -- Asking too much? -- A realistic approach.

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In their earlier book, Half the Sky, husband-and-wife team Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn brought to light struggles faced by women and girls around the globe, and showcased individuals and institutions working to address oppression and expand opportunity. A Path Appears is even more ambitious in scale: a sweeping tapestry of people who are making the world a better place and a guide to the ways that we can do the same -- whether with a donation of $5 or $5 million, with our time, by capitalizing on our skills as individuals, or by using the resources of our businesses. With both research and on-the-ground reporting, the authors assay the art and science of giving, identify successful local and global initiatives, and share examples from the front lines of social progress. We meet people like Dr. Gary Slutkin, who developed his landmark Cure Violence program to combat inner-city conflicts in the United States by applying principles of epidemiology; Lester Strong, who left a career as a high-powered television anchor to run an organization bringing in older Americans to tutor students in public schools across the country; MIT development economist Esther Duflo, whose pioneering studies of aid effectiveness have revealed new truths about, among other things, the power of hope; and Jessica Posner and Kennedy Odede, who are transforming Kenya's most notorious slum by expanding educational opportunities for girls. A Path Appears offers practical, results-driven advice on how best each of us can give and reveals the lasting benefits we gain in return.

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Well-meaning Westerners want to find ways to help the less fortunate. Today, many are not just volunteering abroad and donating to international nonprofits but also advancing innovations and launching projects that aim to be socially transformative. However, often these activities are not efficient ways of helping others, and too many projects cause more harm than good. Reimagining Global Philanthropy shares the journey of a conservative banker and a progressive professor to find a better way forward. Kirk S. Bowman and Jon R. Wilcox explain the boom in the global compassion industry, revealing the incentives that produce inefficient practices and poor outcomes. Instead of supporting start-up projects with long-shot hopes for success, they argue, we can dramatically improve results by empowering local leaders. Applying lessons from the success of community banks, Bowman and Wilcox develop and implement a new model that significantly raises philanthropic efficacy.

Summary: "Public service is a way of life for Americans; giving is a part of our national character. But compassionate instincts and generous spirits aren't enough, says veteran urban activist Robert D. Lupton. In this groundbreaking guide, he reveals the disturbing truth about charity: all too much of it has become toxic, devastating to the very people it's meant to help. In his four decades of urban ministry, Lupton has experienced firsthand how our good intentions can have unintended, dire consequences. Our free food and clothing distribution encourages ever-growing handout lines, diminishing the dignity of the poor while increasing their dependency. We converge on inner-city neighborhoods to plant flowers and pick up trash, battering the pride of residents who have the capacity (and responsibility) to beautify their own environment. We fly off on mission trips to poverty-stricken villages, hearts full of pity and suitcases bulging with giveaways--trips that one Nicaraguan leader describes as effective only in "turning my people into beggars." In Toxic Charity, Lupton urges individuals, churches, and organizations to step away from these spontaneous, often destructive acts of compassion toward thoughtful paths to community development. He delivers proven strategies for moving from toxic charity to transformative charity. Proposing a powerful "Oath for Compassionate Service" and spotlighting real-life examples of people serving not just with their hearts but with proven strategies and tested tactics, Lupton offers all the tools and inspiration we need to develop healthy, community-driven programs that produce deep, measurable, and lasting change. Everyone who volunteers or donates to charity needs to wrestle with this book."

A Daniel Karslake film ; DK Works, Tigre's Den and Huffington Productions in association with Gypsy Camp Studios. Profiles five individuals who have dedicated themselves to alleviating poverty and hunger in different ways.

Also available to stream through Alexander Street here. Requires login.
Summary: "How do 1.1 billion people around the world live on less than one dollar a day? Four young friends set out to research and live this reality. Armed with only a video camera and a desire to understand, they spend just 56 dollars each for 56 days in rural Pena Blanca, Guatemala.

Summary "A unique and essential 4.5-hour documentary series addressing the roots of gender inequality, the devastating impact of poverty and the ripple effects that follow, including: sex trafficking, teen-pregnancy, gender-based violence, child slavery and the effective solutions being forged to combat them. An edge-of-your-seat dramatic encounter which travels across the United States and to Haiti, Colombia and Kenya."--Container.
Producer website: http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/path-appears/