Nick Cooney
How To Be Great At Doing Good
Praise for How to Be Great at Doing Good
“Brendan Kennelly wrote, ‘If you want to serve your age, betray it.’ But what does it mean to betray your age? It means expose its lies, humiliate its conceits, debunk its arrogance, and question its certainties. Nick Cooney does this exquisitely. I would like his book to be in every school library and private bookshelf. But most importantly, I would like his words to be inscribed on the hearts of everyone who looks at the face in the mirror each morning and resolves to do all he can to make life better for the powerless. I am full of admiration for this young man.”
“Too often, charity makes us feel good, but fails to do good. This timely, thoughtful book shows how our contributions can make a bigger difference.”
“Nick Cooney is great at explaining How to Be Great at Doing Good, and I hope his book will be widely read. Even more important, though, is that its key ideas should be widely practiced. Then the results will be great, too – and Cooney and I agree that is what matters most.”
“Doing good is something we could all get better at. This book is the blueprint. Nick Cooney uses the same tools we use at OkCupid – math, logic, and analysis – but to an end that could benefit us all. If you're serious about making the world a better place, start here.”
“Impeccably written and extremely insightful. With eloquence and expressiveness, Cooney gives us a practical guide to examining our charitable efforts, measuring their efficiency, and maximizing their and our impact. If you've ever felt you could do more to make the world a better place, this book is for you.”
“For anyone looking to make the world a better place, I highly recommend considering the arguments presented in How to Be Great at Doing Good. We're accustomed to trying to get the most for our money, but donating is the area where this principle is perhaps most important and least appreciated.”
“Do you know that some charitable programs and organizations are thousands of times more effective than others (and not just because there are scams)? If you want to know who's doing the most good, this book will give you the tools to make accurate assessments. If you want to get the most bang for your buck, this book will show you the way.”
“Giving money to a social cause isn't merely a donation to charity; it's an investment. It won't yield a financial dividend, but the return on investment comes in the form of the kind of social change the investor wants to affect. Nick Cooney helps such philanthropists decide how they can get the biggest bang for their donated buck in this very worthwhile and clearly written book. Anyone interested in using his or her financial resources to help make the world a better place will be better off for reading it.”
“This book will challenge everything you've ever been told about what it means to do good. Whether you work or volunteer at a non-profit, or just donate to one, this book is going to change the way you think about charity. Most importantly, it's going to leave you with the power to make an even bigger impact on the world.”
“Wow, this is such a great book… Don't waste another dollar or a moment of your time chasing wistful dreams; get focused and make the profound difference you long to see by reading (and enacting) Cooney's brilliant thesis.”
“Efficiency. Apply that word to charity work, and you're not just talking about saving dollars, but saving lives. In this book, Cooney expertly uses real-life examples to show how you can maximize your impact. Whether you donate to, volunteer at, or work for a non-profit, you need to read this book.”
“The world faces one big problem: Do-gooders rarely choose the most effective strategies to do good, and highly effective people rarely center their careers around doing good. Nick Cooney's book provides fascinating insights to address this problem, and thus to change the world.”
“Very well-written and remarkably well-researched, How to Be Great at Doing Good is a must-read book for anyone who's thinking about giving but needs a little help doing so.”
Cover design: Wiley
Cover image: © iStock.com/koya79
This book is printed on acid-free paper.
Copyright © 2015 by Nick Cooney. All rights reserved
Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey
Published simultaneously in Canada
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 750-8400, fax (978) 646-8600, or on the web at www.copyright.com. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, JohnWiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, (201) 748-6011, fax (201) 748-6008, or online at www.wiley.com/go/permissions.
Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with the respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a professional where appropriate. Neither
