Editor's note: I wish I would have read this book before I wrote Empty Abundance. While my version of both philanthropy and book writing pales in comparison to billionaires and brilliant writers like Green and Bishop, their work would have given me so much more to ponder. The stories are enlightening and the style is easy to read. Their point that philanthropic bursts such as the one we're going through is cyclical was revealing to me and I was pleased to see the authors cover the "cons" of such a movement as well. All in all, lots of interesting insights for those following this path.

Excerpt: "Unlike politicians, they [philanthrocapitalists] do not face elections every few years; and unlike the CEOs of most public companies, they do not suffer the tyranny of shareholders’ demands for ever-increasing quarterly profits. Nor do they have to devote vast amounts of time and resources to raising money, as most heads of NGOs do. That frees them to think long-term, to go against conventional wisdom, to take up ideas too risky for government, to deploy substantial resources quickly when the situation demands it, and, above all, to try something new."

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1596913746/stansociinn09-20