Needless to say, the show was cancelled before it aired. Vu Le, writer and thinker behind Nonprofit AF, explained the cancellation best: “Forcing activists to compete against one another in a Hunger Games for the crumbs thrown out by the wealthy. Measuring success through social media engagement. Having celebrities who know little to nothing about these issues judging activists with years of experience. And doing it all as entertainment.” I’m a journalist and writer; by day, I’m a fundraising researcher. In other words I research individuals, foundations, and companies for our nonprofit clients to help them raise funds for their respective causes. So naturally, I’m fascinated when discussions of philanthropy and nonprofits come up in daily life since I spend so much time thinking about motivations and wealth. I find it fascinating what people understand about nonprofits as depicted in movies, books, or even social media (fiction or not). My husband will tell you that I am known for yelling at the TV when I see something that does not ring true in the nonprofit world. When I’m not yelling at the media, I am interested in how philanthropy and wealth show up in fiction and how those depictions can highlight or critique the field that I work in. So here are eight recently published books that explore different facets of the philanthropic world. Some of the books focus on traditional philanthropy and nonprofits; others focus on wealth, patronage and more. Hopefully you’ll find these reads to bring up important and necessary questions about the nonprofit world. If you want more fiction books on philanthropy, here’s my list of four additional books, or if you want nonfiction about philanthropy, check out another list of five nonfiction books that I put together. It’s an interesting look at the phenomena we are seeing en masse today: billionaires getting wealthier and wealthier as people suffer, and then donating their money back to social services and more to alleviate the suffering.
