Doing Good . . . Says Who?: Stories from Volunteers, Nonprofits, Donors, and Those They Want to Help - Softcover

Newton, Connie; Early, Fran

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1634137132 ISBN 13: 9781634137133

Publisher: Two Harbors Press, 2015

Synopsis

Doing Good. . . Says Who? explores the impact of good intentions from the inside. The authors conducted over 400 interviews and synthesized the lessons learned. The end result is that you are on the ground with volunteers, nonprofits, donors, andmost uniquelythe intended beneficiaries of good will. Through story telling, humor, analysis, practical advice and a discussion guide, five key concepts emerge:

About this title

About the Author:

Connie Newton and Fran Early have spent their lifetimes committed to service, as board members, donors and everyday volunteers at home and abroad. They’ve worked in intercultural education, community organizing, corporate service, sociology research and human rights, and have spent the last seven years researching this book. Continue the conversation at www.doinggoodsayswho.com.  Authors' Homes: Denver, CO and Boston, MA

From the Inside Flap:

When wisdom speaks, we would do well to listen. Sixty years of combined, on the ground experience in a poverty culture gives Doing Good...Says Who? authenticity and authority that are rare in the hyped-up world of contemporary missions. The authors have earned the right to tell it like it is – and this they do with candor, color and sensitivity. Essential reading for every group, who aspires to do effective mission work. — Bob Lupton, urban ministry veteran and author of Toxic Charity   The stories ring true and are great at developing the core principles for volunteer service. This  teachs people how to not only “do no harm” but really learn from and work with communities in need. It is as important for donors as students and volunteers.— Ruth Messinger, President, American Jewish World Services This book should be required reading for all who seek to improve the lives of the very poor.  It teaches by compelling stories that lasting gains can only be achieved by respecting, learning from, and working with those-in-need.  Visiting occasionally in a Land Rover to tell people with very different life experiences what they should do or to give them charity simply does not work.— Richard Schmalensee, Dean Emeritus, MIT Sloan School of Management Finding experiences for our students where they can both begin to understand a different culture while serving its people in productive ways is a complex challenge for the very reasons explored in this book. The stories Fran and Connie tell are real and thought-provoking.  I strongly commend the read to educators and students alike.— Larry Schall, President, Oglethorpe University When I was working with a group of Mixtec weavers in Oaxaca a leader in the group looked at the board and said, "Dont tell me you have a solution if I haven’t told you I have a problem". The authors really get this as the key to successful development.— Judith Lockhart Radtke, The Circle of Women Doing Good... addresses a major gap in the literature on humanitarianism. Although there are many critical academic studies of humanitarianism and volunteerism that document unintended —and sometimes downright harmful— effects, these studies are generally not accessible except to the specialist audience. Doing Good gives us an approachable, general audience treatment of these important themes. It should be required reading for all volunteers planning long or short-term global engagements. I intend to recommend it to physicians and medical students who are considering participating in global health missions and research projects.— Peter Rohloff, M.D., Ph.D., Asso. Physician Global Health Equities, Medical Director, Wuqu' Kawoq, Maya Health Alliance Most people think of volunteers as idealistic, generous and courageous. Are we really? What do the so-called beneficiaries say? This book is a unique opportunity to hear the beneficiaries’ voices and help us understand, through some very vivid experiences, some of the challenges of humanitarian work. Here is food for thought for all of us. — Daniela Abadi, Doctors Without Borders (MSF), midwife and project coordinator Connie and Fran have written a remarkable book about the ways in which well intended philanthropic and development efforts in other countries often have the opposite impact. They've been watching this play out in Guatemala for several decades and as practitioners on the ground have also developed some powerful principles that maximize the possibility that development efforts will have a positive and lasting impact. In addition to being able to step back and draw on lessons, these two women are really good storytellers.— Larry Dressler, author of Standing in the Fire, global facilitator for corporate development, and co-founder of a Guatemalan non-profit   Doing Good...Says Who? brings an insightful, real life narrative to the challenges, opportunities, and truths of navigating cross-cultural relationships. Bec

About this edition

• Publisher: Two Harbors Press
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 1634137132
• ISBN 13: 9781634137133
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 178