October 3, 2002 | Read Time: 1 minute
Inspired Philanthropy: Your Step-by-Step Guide to Creating a Giving Plan
by Tracy Gary and Melissa Kohner
The authors of this book describe how donors can become more thoughtful and strategic, leaving behind “obligatory giving” to pursue “inspired giving.”
Many donors don’t think strategically about giving, according to Melissa Kohner, who serves on the steering committee of the Young Donor Organizing Alliance, and Tracy Gary, a philanthropic adviser in Houston and a significant donor herself — an heir to the Pillsbury fortune. Instead, they may spontaneously buy a charity raffle ticket, respond to a mail appeal that strikes their interest, or occasionally attend a benefit, the authors say.
This book, a second edition, is designed to help such donors develop more consciousness and intention by setting up a giving plan that is effective and aligned with their philosophy and priorities.
“Creating a giving plan is a process of distilling what you love and are concerned with, and threading those issues with your own values, money, and time,” the authors say.
Chapters use exercises and worksheets to help donors shape a personal mission statement, and include information about handling requests for donations, choosing where to give, and giving anonymously. The book includes advice for wealthy donors, as well as a chapter on encouraging children and teenagers to give.
Publisher: Chardon Press, 3781 Broadway, Oakland, Calif. 94611; (510) 596-8160; fax (510) 596-8822; chardon@chardonpress.com; http://www.chardonpress.com; 257 pages; $24.95; I.S.B.N. 0-7879-6410-7.
