Giving: Purpose Is the New Currency

by Alexandre Mars

Overview

Dubbed “the little French Bill Gates” in his native country, Alexandre Mars quit the startups that made him rich, transforming himself from entrepreneur to philanthropist. Determined to become a responsible and effective giver, Mars traveled around the world, asking two very simple questions. “Do you give to charity?” “Do you give enough?” While all answered yes to the first question, their second answer—“no” surprised him. From Hong Kong to Paris to New York, he met numerous people passionate about making the world a better place, yet unsure of how to do so. Certain there must be a better answer than volunteerism or blank checks, Mars began Epic, a foundation that allows for users to donate directly to rigorously vetted charities while seeing their impact in real time.

Epic takes no cut—100 percent of the donations reach the people who need them. In this vital book, Mars not only tells the story of Epic and its new formula for  giving but redefines what it means to give and have purpose. Like the millennial generation driving much of today’s change, Giving is about holding the new centers of power—multinational corporations—accountable to society.

People are passionate about social causes, and want to donate their time, money, and skills. Combining Mars’ extensive knowledge and experience in tech and economics with the real-life stories of NGOs, Giving provides the inspiration, tools, and insight we can use to make our modern and unpredictable world a better place.

100% of the author's proceeds will go the Epic portfolio organizations to help disadvantaged youth.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062930552
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	06/11/2024
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	111
File size:	684 KB

About the Author

Alexandre Mars is the founder of Epic, a charitable giving platform, through which he has enable some of the world’s largest organizations—L’oreal, Dior, Giphy—to give more. Before Epic, Mars was a serial entrepreneur who launched and sold several start-ups. In 2014 he began a venture capital fund, blisce/. But now Mars now dedicates 90% of his time to Epic and spreading the joy of giving.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

1 Purpose Redefined 9

2 The Evolving History of Giving 15

3 Citizens, Consumers, Workers 21

4 A Global Change 25

5 The New Business Leaders 29

6 Trust, Start-Ups, and Grandmas 35

7 Tech: Everyone Can Be a Donor 39

8 Problem, Power, Pathway 49

9 Learning from People on the Ground 55

10 Design Thinking 59

11 Keep an Open Mind 65

12 Always Ask Broad Questions 69

13 Ensuring Lasting Impact 75

14 Give Time. Give Expertise 81

15 Easy Giving 85

16 How Much Giving Is Enough? 89

17 A Virtuous Circle of Communication 93

18 Rules for Painless Giving 97

19 Success Stories 101

20 Purpose Is the New Currency 109

A Guide to Effective Giving 111

Acknowledgments 115