Pride Foundation Presents: Why Giving Matters

Why Giving Matters: Pride Foundation joins the Nancy Bell Evans Center at UW, Social Venture Partners, and Philanthropy Northwest in inviting you to a provocative presentation by Arthur C. Brooks on the state of philanthropy in our country.

February 28, 2008
12-1:30pm: Brown Bag Presentation with Arthur Brooks
1:30-2:30: Optional Post-Session Discussion
University of Washington – Seattle Campus The Forum, 3rd Floor, Parrington Hall
There is no fee for this event.

“In his most recent book, Who Really Cares, he demonstrates conclusively that conservatives really are compassionate--far more compassionate than their liberal foes. Strong families, church attendance, earned income (as opposed to state-subsidized income), and the belief that individuals, not government, offer the best solution to social ills-all of these factors determine how likely one is to give. Charity matters--not just to the givers and to the recipients, but to the nation as a whole. It is crucial to our prosperity, happiness, health, and our ability to govern ourselves as a free people. In Who Cares, Brooks outlines strategies for expanding the ranks of givers, for the good of all Americans.”*

Giving and volunteering are often seen as merely resources to support charitable activities, and many nonprofit organizations see fundraising as little more than a necessary evil. But research has emerged showing that giving and volunteering are, in and of themselves, an enormous source of prosperity, health, and happiness for givers themselves. This presentation lays out the evidence that charity is one of the most important sources of strength and vitality for individuals, communities, and our nation. It also reveals who is truly giving the most in America today.

Arthur C. Brooks has published approximately 100 articles and books on the connections between culture, politics, and economic life in America. He speaks frequently in the U.S., Europe, and Asia, and is a regular contributor to the Wall Street Journal, Condé Nast Portfolio, and other publications. His latest book, on American charitable giving, is Who Really Cares: The Surprising Truth About Compassionate Conservatism (Basic Books, 2006) which the Wall Street Journal called a "lucidly written, carefully distilled and persuasively cogent work, a tidy time-bomb of a book," and on which Brooks briefed President George W. Bush and the First Lady in February 2007.

Mr. Brooks is Louis A. Bantle Professor of Business and Government Policy at Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and Whitman School of Management. He is also a Visiting Scholar at the American Enterprise Institute. Brooks earned his PhD in Public Policy Analysis from the Rand Graduate School in 1998, and also holds an MA and BA in economics. He has just finished a new book entitled Gross National Happiness which will be released in spring of 2008 by Basic Books, as well as a textbook on social entrepreneurship forthcoming from Prentice-Hall.

* http://www.arthurbrooks.net/about.html