#038 – Kris Putnam-Walkerly, Author of Delusional Altruism

For over 20 years, top global philanthropies have requested Kris Putnam-Walkerly’s help to transform their giving and catapult their impact.

As a philanthropy expert, advisor, and award-winning author, she’s helped over 90 foundations and philanthropists strategically allocate and assess over $500 million in grants and gifts.

Kris’s clients include the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, David and Lucile Packard Foundation, J.M. Smucker Company, Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation, Heising Simons-Foundation, Annie E. Casey Foundation, Charles and Helen Schwab Foundation, Walton Family Foundations, Avery Dennison, and Fujitsu, among dozens of others.

Tips:

  • To find book awards, we started with a Google search for self-published books and then narrowed it down to social justice books. We submitted applications and paid the fees. It was pretty straightforward.
  • Every time I won an award, I issued a press release, emailed it to my list, promoted it on social media and put a sticker on the book cover.
  • To get speaking engagements, we sent the speaker kit along with two copies of the book and a hand-written note. Then I followed up the next week. I booked 20 engagements in a year.
  • I’m a big believer in getting help. I asked a colleague to sort my blog posts and help me decide which ones to put in the book. I was too close to the content. It was helpful to get an outside perspective.
  • A commercially published book adds credibility to someone who wants to be a thought leader. Publishers expect you to sell 10,000 copies.
  • You can write a book even if you are not a good writer. You can hire a ghost writer. There’s no shame in getting help so you can avoid disasters and pitfalls.

Book: Delusional Altruism (Amazon Hardcover)

Website: Putnam Consulting