Contesting Communities: The Transformation of Workplace Charity examines the evolution of charitable giving in the workplace over the last eighty years. Written by Emily Barman, assistant professor of sociology at Boston University, the book is especially interesting for the way it examines changing notions of community through the lens of the United Way, the largest and oldest federated giving vehicle in the country and an organization that has had a near monopoly on workplace giving for decades.

While substantial scholarship on workplace giving already exists, Barman's research on the United Way and various community giving funds, with a focus on Chicago and San Francisco, enables her to provide an in-depth analysis of that history — as well as a fascinating picture of changing social dynamics in the United States and how they have driven changes in philanthropic practice.

The book ranges widely and deeply over the social and historical landscape of twentieth-century America, but the heart of Barman's account focuses on how the marketplace created competition for the United Way in the form of alternative funds that were more responsive to the idea of community based on gender, race, or sexual orientation.

More than just charting the evolution of federated workplace giving vehicles, Barman also examines the changing psychology of the donor in the workplace and how that change has impacted the behavior of federated funds. When United Way was the only choice for workplace charity, donors tended to be more passive. But the competition posed by alternative funds, and the growing interest on the part of donors in choosing which organizations and activities to donate their money to, has changed the equation.

The most significant shift, Barman writes, occurred with a new generation of so-called venture philanthropists who, enriched by the tech boom of the 1990s, believed they should have more of a say in the day-to-day operation of organizations to which they donated substantial sums. The consequences of that shift are still being felt in the nonprofit community, most notably in the emergence of for-profit and hybrid philanthropic models. The author examines this evolution carefully and offers a closely reasoned argument for a link between the growth of alternative communities and the emergence of more engaged donors.

The book is not perfect. Like many academics, Barman feels the need to state and re-state her findings, and the book's pacing leaves a bit to be desired. It's an understandable flaw, however, when one considers how much ground she is trying to cover.

Still, while Contesting Communities is the first book to really examine the evolution of workplace charity, it's probably not going to find its way into too many beach bags. Instead, this is a book for historians, sociologists, and nonprofit professionals interested in how changing notions of community and donor engagement are likely to affect their organizations and fundraising appeals. And at the end of the day, what could be more important?