The Original Sam

This is the second-draft index post for Charitable Getting.

Charitable Getting: A Novel Deduction

Philanthropy in the twenty-first century is a game. Artists, salesmen, executives, and idealists are the players in the game. The goal is to get something for nothing, and pass it on without the donors passing judgment.

At the center of the game board stands the charismatic Bo Sparks, executive director of SparkVISION Consulting. Along with his highly motivated and slightly neurotic staff, Sparks masterminds the offensive for the charities under his care, from instructional webinars to grassroots organizing, ad campaigns to catering. Surrounded by the wealthy and the desperate, he just wants to do a little good in the world.

Journalist Tanya Montray has a different goal: she thinks SparkVISION is harboring a secret, the identity of the mysterious blogger Non Prophet. An anonymous authority with a dry wit that has earned him the dubious title of "Internet Celebrity," Non may hold the key to SparkVISION's triumph over their foes -- but if Montray manages to uncover him, he might also be their downfall.

Sex scandals, embezzlement, internet gossip, clandestine love affairs, and one misplaced cake -- it's all in a day's work, in the charitable sector.

ETA 10/1/10: This is a FIRST DRAFT of Charitable Getting. Please see this post for the index to the second and most current draft.

( Chapter Ten )