The Philanthropic Mind: Surprising Discoveries

The Philanthropic Mind: Surprising Discoveries from Canada's Top Philanthropists

Table Of Contents   Author Bios

The Philanthropic Mind is based on dozens of candid interviews with Canada’s top philanthropists. Through revealing quotes and rich anecdotes, it uncovers their philanthropic motivations, joys, challenges, and defining experiences.

You will discover the real reasons behind some of the largest donations ever made in Canada, as well as eye-opening perspectives on giving and receiving and the people behind it through this collection of inside stories and surprising insights that has never before been assembled.

The Philanthropic Mind is a rare opportunity to learn from and be inspired by Canada’s most generous individuals. It is an invaluable resource for fundraisers and all those who are involved within the charitable sector. Whether you are a professional within an organization, a board member, a volunteer, or a budding or seasoned philanthropist, you will find the thinking of these accomplished Canadians to be instructive, intriguing, possibly even validating, and almost certainly motivational.

The Philanthropic Mind explores the backstory to a news item that has become almost commonplace. A philanthropist has made a large donation to a local organization and is photographed giving an oversized cheque to its representatives. Along with the photo is the obligatory quote about the gift’s impact and how meaningful it is to the cause.

But what’s the real story? How did that donation really come to be? What role did the donor’s attitude, history, and relationships play in his or her gift? Out of the eighty-six thousand other organizations in Canada, what prompted the philanthropist to meaningfully support this one? What is the essence of the philanthropic mind?

The research at the heart of this book aimed to answer these questions using the best source of information about philanthropists - the philanthropists themselves.

The interviews with Canada’s top philanthropists were comprehensive. The authors asked all the difficult questions they could think of without crossing the boundaries of appropriateness. Through these frank conversations, they unearthed numerous unexpected and perhaps even counterintuitive insights about major gifts and meaningful philanthropic engagement.

The conversations provided answers to such questions as:

• When actually is the ideal time to ask for a major gift?
• What is the real value of marketing material?
• What’s the true connection between a donor’s business and philanthropic interests?
• What are the key ingredients to a successful solicitation?

Even with their combined decades of experience, some of what they heard was astounding. They left most of the interviews trying to debrief and process the sheer volume of what they had just learned. More than anything, they almost always walked away inspired and enlightened. And that’s exactly what we hope The Philanthropic Mind will do for you.

Tom Ahern likes this book:

ISBN 978-1-4575-3388-4  Dog Ear Publishing 2015
146 pages 6 x 9 in/ soft cover 250 gr/ hard cover 340 gr