Braided Threads

A Historical Overview of the American Nonprofit Sector

By: Robert Penna

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Hardcover | 23 March 2018 | Edition Number 1

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Hardcover
204 Pages

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23.39 x 15.6 x 1.27

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The United States today supports the strongest, most varied nonprofit sector in the world, an economic force of about $2 trillion, responsible for 5.4% of the nationâs Gross Domestic Product in 2014, and accounting that year for 10.3% of the country's private-sector workforce. Roughly three-quarters of all households in America give to charity, with the average total donation being $2,030 annually. Yet for all this, few Americans, and more specifically, a surprisingly small proportion of the sectorâs practitioners, know where the nonprofit sector came from, or how it developed and came to be what we know it as today. This work is a historical overview of that sector, presented less as a chronology than as a discussion of the major influencesâ"some legal, some social, some politicalâ"that helped shape the arena.

The core message of the book is that the developmental trajectory of nonprofits has not been a straight line. Rather, its path over the years might be compared to that of a pinball, moving straight and building up momentum for a time, but then ricocheting off some event or social trend and taking off in a new direction altogether. Equally important, however, the sector is also the product of a founding genome that came out of colonial, Puritan-inspired New England and spread as that culture and its values became one of the dominant forces in American society. Knowing this history is a prerequisite for understanding and appreciating the character of this deeply influential part of American social culture.

Industry Reviews

Easy to read and follow, the strength of this work is in the historical context of philanthropy from a U.S. perspective.

Michael Thatcher

President & CEO, Charity Navigator

Braided Threads offers a tour through the history of America's charitable sector, giving texture to the story of social change as a way to understand this critical pillar of American society, helping us understand where we came from and where we are going.

Jacob Harold

President & CEO, GuideStar

Dr. Penna offers a thoughtful, well-researched overview of the evolution of the nonprofit sector in America. A concise and detailed review of key developments in our sector's evolution over more than two centuries.

Jed Emerson

Senior Advisor, Gary Community Investment Company

Originator, Blended Value Concept

Senior Fellow with the Center for Social Investment, Heidelberg University

Winner of the 2012 Nautilus Gold Book Award

Twice selected by the NonProfit Times as one of the 50 Most Influential People in the Sector

Robert Penna offers us the story of American philanthropy from its ancient roots to its current reality. By tracing key themes, he aptly presents the evolving nature of our philanthropic adventure. Penna has done the nonprofit sector a great service and made its understanding more accessible to the broader public. A great resource for those who study and work in our sector, as well as those in the general public curious about where it all came from.

Barry Silverberg

Director, Center for Nonprofit Studies, Austin Community College (CNS)

Former President & CEO, Texas Association of Nonprofit Organizations (TANO)

Dr. Penna's book, Braided Threads, provides us with a tremendous overview of the history of the U.S. nonprofit sector. The book is engaging, fascinating, and extremely well researched. It should be read by anyone working in -or planning to work in- the sector, as well as those donors who are supporting nonprofits. The book gives the reader great insights into the sector's origins and rich history, as well as what is likely to come next in the evolution of this complex and enormous arena.

Ken Berger

Executive Director of CTC Academy

Former President & CEO of Charity Navigator

Dr. Penna's Braided Threads is the most comprehensive explanation yet of the philanthropic, political, religious, and social influences that have impacted the development of the nonprofit sector in America. A must-read for anyone seeking to better understand the sector's roots and essential contributions to our nation.

Stephen W. Rice

Director of Government Affairs & Communications

Independent Bankers Association of New York

This book is an indispensable resource for anybody interested in working in, funding, improving, or designing appropriate public policies for the world of nonprofit organizations.

David Hunter, Ph.D.

Author, Working Hard & Working Well

Former Director of Assessment and Knowledge Development, Edna McConnell Clark Foundation

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