Grassroots Philanthropy [Paperback]

Bill Somerville (Author), Fred Setterberg (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2008

Take risks. Move quickly. Get out of the office and into the field.

Set aside the mountains of paper that characterize conventional philanthropy and focus instead on forging enduring partnerships with outstanding individuals. Dare to change the world in imaginative ways that prove deeply satisfying, exciting, and (dare we say it?) fun. Based on four decades of experience as a foundation executive, Bill Somerville's Grassroots Philanthropy is an unorthodox guide to decisive, hands-on grantmaking. Straightforward, persuasive, and exhilarating, Somerville's courageous and thoughtful approach to grantmaking will energize and motivate foundation and nonprofit leaders alike.

Editorial Reviews

Review

''Bill Somerville provides us with ideas, suggestions, and experiences that would help any foundation, large or small, experienced or new, and any employee or board member.''--Colburn Wilbur, former president and CEO of the David and Lucile Packard Foundation

''Bill is my hero--a friend to all of us who care about our communities, our children, our country. Someone who can see the great ideas when others just see chaos or problems; someone who listens and reaches down to the grass roots to discover new trends, new ideas.''--Catherine Milton, Founder, Friends of the Children, former Executive Director, Save the Children

''Working with Bill Somerville continues to be a joy in every regard. It is difficult to imagine how we could accomplish much of our grantmaking, both regionally and internationally, without his assistance.''--Thomas C. Layton, President, Wallace Alexander Gerbode Foundation

''Bill Somerville has inspired my community work in ingenious and provocative ways.'' --Alice Waters, Founder and Director, Chez Panisse Foundation

Every day Bill Somerville demonstrates that a foundation can be instantly responsive, sensitive, interested in your ideas, and helping as many people as possible. Ed Nathan, Vice President of Van Löben Sels/Rembe Rock Foundation and former Executive Director of the Zellerbach Family Fund --Van Loben Sels/Rembe Rock Foundation

Working with Bill Somerville continues to be a joy in every regard. It is difficult to imagine how we could accomplish much of our grantmaking, both regionally and internationally, without his assistance. Thomas C. Layton, President of the Wallace Alexander Gerbode Foundation --Wallace Alexander Gerbode Foundation

About the Author

Bill Somerville is a nationally recognized expert on creative grantmaking. He has consulted at over 350 community foundations in the United States, Canada, and the U.K. on innovative grantmaking and effective operations. In 1991 he founded Philanthropic Ventures Foundation, which specializes in responsive approaches to grantmaking, such as ''paperless'' discretionary grants and grants with a forty-eight-hour turnaround.

Fred Setterberg is the coauthor, with Lonny Shavelson, of Toxic Nation, Under the Dragon: California's New Culture, and five other books, including the award-winning The Roads Taken: Travels Through America's Literary Landscapes. He has been a staff writer for the East Bay Express and editor of Travelers' Tales America, and has written for the New York Times, The Nation, and scores of other national and regional magazines. He lives in Oakland, California.

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Heyday (February 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1597140856
• ISBN-13: 978-1597140850
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #218,759 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #20 in Books > Business & Investing > Small Business & Entrepreneurship > Raising Capital

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Giving Face to Face, January 26, 2008

By 

Philip B. Cubeta (Dallas, TX USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Grassroots Philanthropy (Paperback)

Bill Somerville is the President and Founder of Philanthropic Ventures Foundation. Born poor, he was the first in his family to attend college. Now, with 48 years experience in nonprofit work, he has written a short, passionate, and wise book, with Fred Setterberg, Grassroots Philanthropy: Field Notes of a Maverick Grantmaker. Bill recommends funding people, not projects. To get to know people, Bill suggests that funders push back from their paper laden desks, and go out into the community, not just to talk to grant-seekers, but to seek out high potential change agents, and get to know them, whether or not they have applied for a grant. To free up time for such direct engagement, Bill suggests ways to streamline paper flow. Bill's advice comes across as that of a man driven by an ethic of service. Those in need are not abstractions to him, nor statistics. With all that money in foundations, he seems to feel, surely more can be done right now to make a positive difference in the lives of people the funder can meet, and should meet, face to face. I can see this book being very helpful not only to salaried grant-makers at large foundations, but also to the founder and family members of unstaffed private foundations, or those who might have a donor advised fund, or just anyone who wants to make gifts not as transactions by mail, or online, but hand to hand, heart to heart, and eye to eye.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Elegance of Simplicity, March 25, 2008

By 

Linda Peterson "A fan of simplicity" (SF Bay Area, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Grassroots Philanthropy (Paperback)

Philanthropists - large, small, individual, family, institional - have generous impulses. But what gets in the way of identifying needs and putting those generous impulses to work? Bureaucracy, cumbersome application processes, "gaming" the system, losing sight of what power a gift can provide. Bill Somerville, a legend in philanthropy and an innovator in grant-making, has created a book that brings us back to the basics. Bill's history, commitment, and straightforward approach restore faith in what gifts (or investments, as he often calls them) can do.
Less paper, less process, more generosity, more impact. The math is simple, the approach is elegant -- the man who invented "fax a grant" speaks and we'd all do well to listen. His co-author, Fred Setterberg, has captured Bill's passion and his joy. We all benefit.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Refreshing!, March 9, 2008

By 

Radha Stern "Radha Stern" (Mill Valley, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Grassroots Philanthropy (Paperback)

I find Bill and Fred's book very refreshing. It is not the same boiler plate philanthropic advice. We should all dare to be different and get our philanthropic best foot out into the world!