The Guide to Major Trusts 2025-26. DSC (Directory of Social Change)

Delusional Altruism

Why Philanthropists Fail To Achieve Change and What They Can Do To Transform Giving

How you give matters. Discover philanthropic strategies for creating transformational change.

Whether you regularly donate to charity, run a small family foundation, or are responsible for millions of dollars in grants, you are a philanthropist. Delusional Altruism: Why Philanthropists Fail To Achieve Change and What They Can Do To Transform Giving looks at how you can create transformational change. It reminds us that how we give is as important as the amount we give. The author describes common practices that hinder transformational change and explains how to avoid them, ensuring that your gifts help create the impact you seek.

Delusional Altruism—a set of all-too-common errors in philanthropic strategy—can derail a program of giving and result in a loss of efficiency and effectiveness. This book asks philanthropists and charitable organizations to consider whether they have fallen under the spell of Delusional Altruism. Are you cutting out impactful giving in order to save money or avoid uncertainty? Is your philanthropic approach unnecessarily restricted by traditional thinking? This book will help you answer these questions and determine how you can achieve better outcomes through the process of Transformational Giving.

Although enhanced opportunities for philanthropic giving are on the horizon, changes to philanthropic practice are needed to prevent this philanthropy boom from becoming under-leveraged. Implementing updated approaches now can lead to positive change for the future. Read Delusional Altruism to learn how you can transform reality with strategic giving.

Reviews

“Kris Putnam-Walkerly offers insightful observations and useful tools for philanthropists. Delusional Altruism is definitely worth reading for those who want to make their giving more impactful!”
Yanni Peng, CEO, Narada Foundation and Chair, China Social Enterprise and Impact Investment Forum

Buy on Bookshop.org Buy on Amazon

Loading

Mastodon