Why does American Big Giving--a sector controlling more than $2 trillion in charitable assets--so often fail to prioritize working-class community needs, as urgent crises unfold? In CONTROL: Why Big Giving Falls Short, Glen Galaich--the first sitting CEO of a significant private foundation to offer an incisive critique of America's approach to charitable Big Giving--shows how our philanthropic system and culture encourage excessive donor power that limits and derails social change. CONTROL follows Galaich's personal conversion story from being a proponent of centralized donor control to advocating for more community engagement. Galaich argues that deep misconceptions, power imbalances, and a lack of accountability within philanthropy's antiquated systems are leading to the stockpiling of trillions earmarked for public good. He shows how these funds are instead being used to create more consolidated wealth or are distributed far too slowly, while urgent needs in struggling communities go unmet. Galaich's engaging storytelling--scenes from behind the closed doors of often nontransparent institutions--holds a mirror up to the sector's behaviors, myths, and 'fake rules' that impede social progress. He explores the historical development of this controlling mindset and how loyal advisors and default practices encourage donor power over funds that legally and ethically no longer belong to them. He questions if these are even the roles that big donors want to play? The good news, Galaich says, is that we created this system, and we can change it. As working-class Americans grow concerned about the ultra-wealthy's control over their lives, he sees Big Giving as a place of low- hanging fruit to repair trust. Everyone has a role--starting with the sector's own self-correction--and he shares first steps to a game-changing shift. Challenging and principled, CONTROL is also informed by Galaich's extensive off- and on-the-record interviews with other foundation CEOs, advisors, and major donors.