Founder of Independent Sector Reflects on Half-Century of Public Service

Fifty Years in Public Causes: Stories From a Road Less Traveled
by Brian O’Connell

When Brian O’Connell quit his graduate studies in public service to take a job at a nonprofit group, his faculty adviser lamented that his departure would be a loss to the field. At that time, writes Mr. O’Connell, jobs in the nonprofit world were not recognized as public service.

Fifty years later, the profile of nonprofit groups has risen significantly, thanks in part to Mr. O’Connell’s efforts to promote the philanthropic world. As the co-founder of Independent Sector, he has been a longtime advocate for voluntary organizations and their capacity to change society.

In this memoir, he discusses how he rose to a position of leadership in the nonprofit world. Just a few years out of college, the Worcester, Mass., native was hired as executive director of a nonprofit group in his hometown that helped children with disabilities. Within less than a decade, he had joined and moved up the ranks of the American Heart Association to become director of its California affiliate, and in 1966 was tapped as national director of the Mental Health Association. Under his leadership, the group strengthened its advocacy role, winning two lawsuits against the Nixon administration to force the release of federal money for mental-health research and treatment.

Amid increased attempts by government to limit the role of nonprofit groups, and growing questions about their effectiveness, Mr. O’Connell began in the late 1970s to consider ways to protect and strengthen the nonprofit world. He describes the challenges of creating Independent Sector—not least of which was picking a name for the new organization—and provides an insider’s look at the group’s successes. His book follows Independent Sector’s efforts to lobby for changes to charitable-giving laws, protect the advocacy rights of charities, and promote understanding of nonprofit groups both within and outside the field.

He also discusses his foray into writing, which turned into a prolific endeavor: Mr. O’Connell is the author of 14 books. Writing about the nonprofit world, he says, allows him to communicate to others the lessons he has learned about advocacy, fund raising, organizing—and the value of devoting a life to public service.

Publisher: Tufts University Press, 37 Lafayette Street, Lebanon, N.H. 03766-1446; (800) 421-1561; fax (603) 643-1540T; http://www.upne.com; 228 pages; $24.95; ISBN 1-58465-476-7.