Atlanta Global Studies Center (AGSC) is proud to present the “Authors Amplified” series hosted by Global Atlanta!

Dr. Kirk Bowman and Jon Wilcox’s ‘Reimagining Global Philanthropy’
August 24 
11 am -12 pm

REGISTER HERE
 

Bowman and Wilcox recount how they tested the model in Brazil, demonstrating the value of giving people in marginalized communities the opportunity to innovate.
 

Global Atlanta’s Authors Amplified series highlighting Georgia voices continues with an in-person interview with Dr. Kirk S. Bowman, professor in the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs at the Georgia Institute of Technology, and Jon R. Wilcox, co-founder and the former president, CEO, and director of California Republic Bancorp.

Dr. Bowman and Mr. Wilcox are the authors of the recently released book Reimagining Global Philanthropy: The Community Bank Model of Social Development. 

Note: Space for the in-person event at the Global Atlanta offices, is limited to the first 20 guests. Tickets are $15. A meet and greet with the authors will begin at 11 a.m., followed by an in-person interview starting at 11:30.

Global Atlanta
135 Auburn Avenue 2nd Floor, Suite 213
Atlanta, GA 

Can’t make it? This event will also be broadcasted and viewable free of charge via Zoom. Please select your preferred option when registering.

Sponsored by Gene Kansas Commercial Real Estate:

Hosted by Constellations, home to the Global Atlanta offices: 

About the Book

Well-meaning Westerners want to find ways to help the less fortunate. Today, many are not just volunteering abroad and donating to international nonprofits but also advancing innovations and launching projects that aim to be socially transformative. However, often these activities are not efficient ways of helping others, and too many projects cause more harm than good.

Reimagining Global Philanthropy shares the journey of a conservative banker and a progressive professor to find a better way forward. Kirk S. Bowman and Jon R. Wilcox explain the boom in the global compassion industry, revealing the incentives that produce inefficient practices and poor outcomes. Instead of supporting start-up projects with long-shot hopes for success, they argue, we can dramatically improve results by empowering local leaders.

Applying lessons from the success of community banks, Bowman and Wilcox develop and implement a new model that significantly raises philanthropic efficacy. Their straightforward and rigorously tested approach calls for community members to take the lead while outside partners play a supporting role. Bowman and Wilcox recount how they tested the model in Brazil, demonstrating the value of giving people in marginalized communities the opportunity to innovate. In a time of widespread social reckoning, this book shows how global philanthropy can confront its blind spots and failures in order to achieve truly transformative outcomes.

Readers can access five of the documentary films discussed in the book on a companion website. In addition to the films, chapter discussion questions and other supplemental materials are also available at the site.

About the Authors

Kirk S. Bowman (right) and Jon R. Wilcox (left) in Chacrinha, Rio de Janeiro.

Kirk S. Bowman is a professor in the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs at the Georgia Institute of Technology. He is co-founder and director of the international NGO Rise Up & Care. His books include Lessons from Latin America: Innovations in Politics, Culture, and Development (2014).

Jon R. Wilcox is the co-founder and the former president, CEO, and director of California Republic Bancorp. His current and previous board affiliations include Mechanics Bank, Waterfall Bridge Capital, Rise Up & Care, South Coast Repertory, Junior Achievement, and Fiji Reef Resources.

About the Series

Georgia’s deep pool of international expertise is sometimes hidden in the ivory towers of academia or overshadowed by looming national figures. Sought-after thought leaders sometimes shine globally while being ignored in their own backyard.

With Authors Amplified, a monthly series of book talks open to subscribers and the public, Global Atlanta showcases authoritative local voices in foreign affairs and international business while highlighting the state’s intellectual contributions to important global conversations.

The Authors Amplified series is presented by the Atlanta Global Studies Center (AGSC), a partnership of Georgia Institute of Technology and Georgia State University, funded in part by a US Department of Education Title VI National Resource Center grant, with a mission to empower the metro region’s global agenda.