A Path Appears: Transforming Lives, Creating Opportunity

“We crave meaning and purpose in life, and one way to find it is to connect to a cause larger than ourselves. This book is about innovators who are using research, evidence-based strategies, and brilliant ideas of their own to prevent violence, improve health, boost education, and spread opportunity at home and around the world—and to suggest to the rest of us specific ways in which we too can make a difference in the world.”

This gives an overview of the book and sums up its purpose. On the one hand, the authors want to inform readers about people and organizations making a difference in the lives of others. On the other hand, they seek to motivate readers—from whatever walks of life—to join in and do the same.

“The truth is that in recent years it has become clear that modest sums can help overcome disease and ease malnutrition and that innovations allow organizations to become more effective in saving lives and attacking the cycle of poverty.”

This quotation highlights one of the main themes of the book, which is that people don’t have to be millionaires or donate large sums of money to make a difference. The authors repeatedly try to debunk that myth, informing readers that any amount of money they give can have an effect in improving someone’s life. Among the examples they give is the cost of medicine to deworm a child in Africa or Asia: just 50 cents a year.

“Charities across the United States employ 13 million people and take in $1.5 trillion in revenues each year, not just from donations but also from government grants for running programs for the homeless or low-income schoolchildren. That means that the charity industry accounts for 10 percent of the economy—twice the share of national defense. Yet there is negligible scrutiny or accountability, and among the 1.4 million charities in the United States, including churches, there are some that do little more than benefit their founders.”

This gives a picture of the size of charities in the United States and juxtaposes that with the lack of oversight they receive. Here the authors are acknowledging what prevents many people from donating money to charities: uncertainty about where their money actually goes. They try to overcome this, however, as one of the purposes of the book is to encourage people to do their homework and follow the evidence that is increasingly available regarding charities’ effectiveness.