Begging for Change: the dollars and sense of making non-profits responsive, efficient, and rewarding for all by Robert Egger with Howard Yoon ISBN 9780060541712
I am ashamed to say that this book was in my house for almost a year before I actually opened it. I had heard about it from Faith Middleton on National Public Radio and thought, “My, this sounds great!” So it was purchased and arrived at the library in February … no one checked it out and I finally did take it home in August. I just started it less than a week ago and it is now finished. I am amazed at why I didn’t read it earlier, for it was wonderfully refreshing and shares great insight into the non-profit community.
You can tell that Mr. Egger is very passionate about his field and his experience. He has personal, vibrant anecdotes about all that he does. In his exuberance for homelessness and hunger, he may sometimes be less than logical or thought out; however, one of his premises is that you can’t force someone to change their mind, you make suggestions and then hopefully they will have a “calculated epiphany”. You share a life story or anecdote and hopefully a donor will eventually see the situation in a different light.
This was a wonderful quick read talking about our society and how it is changing — our youth are doing more in the volunteer field because of school graduation requirements. With organizations like AmeriCorps and Peace Corps — our college graduates have done more to help and gain experience in wide realms of global spheres yet when they return and seek job opportunities they cannot find jobs that suit their expectations. The world is changing and yet non-profits, especially older and more established non-profits, do things the way they have always done them. Mr. Egger suggests that this is the 21st century and non-profits tend to be acting in an early 20th century model.
Non-profits can’t be operated in the same way as for-profit companies — but they can be inovated and creative. All non-profits should look at why they exist and who do they serve. How can they best serve the community in which they live? Is hunger the only issue? Does the non-profit need to address the whole person? Do the people they serve need a secure and safe neighborhood? Food, so that the parents can be assured that their children are well and the parents can focus on work? A vehicle or mode of transportation so they can get to work on time and then to grocery stores and food banks for when the paycheck doesn’t last as long as the month does.
This is a great book and if anyone has anything to do with a non-profit this should be a highly recommended book. I am also tempted to say that every high school student should read it before graduation.
