Why Must Read Decolonizing Wealth, Second Edition: Indigenous Wisdom to Heal Divides and Restore Balance?

First, I am a fundraising professional with 35 years experience ranging from small non-profit health organizations, religious organizations, and higher education organizations. I have worked with thousands of individuals, corporations, and foundations helping them achieve their philanthropic goals. This author laid out a series of premises, virtually all of which are false. One cannot even get through the first 10 pages without seeing the first one. In his discussion of money he says, "Money is the root of all evil, doesn't the Bible say that?". No, actually, it does not. It says that the LOVE of money is the root of all evil. Another example is the assertion that his Native American tradition of "balance" is ALL Native American's tradition of balance. One might ask the Apaches if the Comanches shared their view of "balance". The core problem this author faces is that his experience in Philanthropy only comes from giving away other people's money (through long established foundations), and then ascribes to those whose money he's giving away certain attributes. Yet another false premise. Worth noting, individuals give away more than 75% of all the money donated annually. Private Foundations give just under 18%. Corporations only give away less than 5% of all charitable donations. And where do these donations go? Religious organizations receive 29% of all charitable dollars. The irony of this author's assertion that donors' values are askew while they give the plurality of their money to religious organizations is more than ironic, it's a condemnation of religious organizations - every single one - in America. Next in line is giving to Human Services receiving 12% of donations. After that comes Foundations (virtually all private family foundations - still controlled by the originator of the wealth donated), Education, Health, Public-Society benefit, the Arts, and international affairs organizations. Environmental and animal charitable giving rounds out the list. This data matters, for to believe the underlying premise of the book, ALL individual donors are racists, who earned the money they gave away "on the backs of the indigenous and people of color". At BEST, this author can speak to how longtime private foundations behave. Assuming his conclusions are correct (which one cannot as the premises are so flawed), this book is only relevant to just under 18% of the donated dollars annually. It does NOT represent the values and attitudes of the tens of millions of hardworking Americans, of all races, colors, and creeds, who generously give of their treasure to make the world a better place. Philanthropy does not need to be "fixed". Given the fact that more than 75% of the money given to charity is done so by the individual, there is no reasonable alternative than to trust that individual to give to the area that's most important to them. THEIR decision is the right one, because it's THEIR money. My 35 years of work across a broad spectrum of philanthropy tells me I'm right. This book was suggested to me by a friend in Higher Education. He said it would make me mad. He was wrong. It just made me sad that someone with this narrow a focus in the Philanthropic field could consider themselves enough of an expert to opine on a subject - an industry - far more broad and impactful than the little world in which they traveled.