World Ark Magazine - March/April 2009 - (Page 40) mixed media Food for thought review motivation to give The Power of Giving: How Giving Back Enriches Us All Azim Jamal and Harvey McKinnon Tarcher/Penguin, $22.95 Hardcover, 2008 Giving Back: Connecting You, Business, and Community Bert Berkley and Peter Economy Wiley, $27.95 Hardcover, 2008 By Donna Stokes, World Ark Managing Editor I f YoU Seek iNSpiraTioN for your family or business to make a difference in the world, or at least your corner of it, both The Power of Giving and Giving Back qualify as good first steps in the pursuit of purposeful benevolence. imagine you’re sitting down for a cup of tea and a heartto-heart with a couple of friends—friends who have some experience in nonprofits, who celebrate the personal benefits of giving, and who possess a real desire to light a fire under anyone with a will to help others. This is how The Power of Giving is pitched by azim Jamal, an international inspirational speaker, and harvey mckinnon, an author and trainer who has helped raise hundreds of millions of dollars for nonprofits from amnesty international to the canadian cancer Society. The book is actually a bit more intense than a talk over tea; it argues with considerable emotional force that giving is as good for the donor as it is for the beneficiary. with the overall message of “how to become a more giving person in 174 pages or less,” it seeks to prove to the reader that giving is a fundamental human need. The self-help vibe was the book’s first big surprise. The relationship advice, examination of feelings about money and the earnest plea to not watch so much television were unforeseen in what i expected to be a how-to manual on giving. Specific information on how to give is there, you just have to dig for it. for those who prefer a personal, Chicken Soup for the Soul approach to the subject, you won’t be disappointed. The whole package, including philosophical quotations from Thich Nhat hanh, carol Burnett, groucho marx and the like, works to make the case that giving is personal, and in order to be effective in any serious pursuit it’s important to understand your motivations and fears first. The authors’ fresh approach extends to their definition of giving. They discuss donations of time and money and give practical advice on topics such as how to choose what groups to contribute to, what nonprofits need most, tithing and time management. But they also explain other ways to give: helping a child with homework, calling a friend or relative and passing along a love of learning all count. riding a bicycle to work, for instance, is both a present to the environment and to yourself. They write, “By giving, you can live to your potential, avoid loneliness, become fearless, touch your spirit, and find meaning and fulfillment. … everyone can give something—a smile, a prayer, a good thought. giving can be tangible or intangible. You can give wisdom, love, laughter, time, money, skills, attention or forgiveness.” one chapter addresses leadership in corporate giving. it sets up the reasons for why businesses give, but not the reality of how hard it is to build a nonprofit or for-profit charity into one that pays for itself while achieving its goals of helping those in need. That’s where Giving Back by Bert Berkley and peter economy comes in. if you’re motivated more by proof of what others have accomplished with very little, this is the book for you. it begins with a discussion of hurricane katrina’s devastation in three of the country’s poorest states—louisiana, mississippi and alabama—and how many businesses jumped in to help after it became clear that government aid alone would not be enough. general electric offered $6 million to help; Toyota and ameriquest pledged $5 www.he i f e r .o r g 40 m a rch / ap r i l 2 00 9 | world ark http://www.heifer.org
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