Authors Explore How to 'Give Smart' to Charities When Every Dollar Counts

Even in a sluggish economy, Americans still give away billions of dollars to charitable causes. With this in mind, Judy Woodruff spoke with the authors of a new book aimed at making charitable giving more effective. Titled Give Smart: Philanthropy That Gets Results, the book is motivated by new thinking about the urgency of getting the most out of every dollar given away.

One author is Tom Tierney, co-founder of the Bridgespan Group, a nonprofit focused on helping donors and nonprofit leaders to act in ways that accelerate social change. The other is Joel Fleishman, a Duke University professor of law and public policy, and a long-time expert on philanthropy.

They encourage donors—large and small—to ask themselves hard questions before they write a check. And they tell us the timing of the book is even more relevant because the economy is so weak.