May 7, 2009 | Read Time: 1 minute
NEW BOOKS
The Pollyanna Principles: Reinventing “Nonprofit Organizations” to Create the Future of Our World
by Hildy Gottlieb
Hildy Gottlieb, consultant and president of the Community-Driven Institute, wishes to do away with two ideas that she thinks limit the ambitions and success of nonprofit organizations, and instead put in place a set of ideals she refers as the “Pollyanna principles.”
The “old-world charitable model” assumes that help should be given to only one individual or family at a time, that only a few people and organizations are able to help the needy, and that donors or charities are in the best position to provide assistance. Ms. Gottlieb says such practices reinforce social distance and elitism.
At the same time, the “business model,” which encourages charities to operate more like companies, with an eye on bottom lines, short-term success, market demand, and a need to eliminate competition, contradicts charitable missions, she says. In the field of child abuse, for example, an increased demand for services should not be considered opportune, nor should the appearance of more organizations working on the problem be considered a threat.
Ms. Gottlieb offers a list of her “Pollyanna principles,” which exhorts charities to act on the idea that “everyone and everything is interconnected and interdependent, whether we acknowledge that or not.” To that end, Ms. Gottlieb recommends that organizations form collaborations with other like-minded groups, not only for planning, but also for sharing resources such as databases, financial support, and training.
Publisher: Renaissance Press, 4433 East Broadway Boulevard, Suite 202, Tucson, Ariz. 85711; (520) 321-4433; fax (520) 321-1997; orders@help4nonprofits.com; http://www.help4nonprofits.com; 369 pages; $29.95; ISBN 978-0-9818928-0-1.
