April 6, 2006 | Read Time: 1 minute
In Praise of Givers
by Jim Doherty
In 71 profiles of people who have donated time and money to charitable organizations in Richmond, Va., Jim Doherty explores the reasons why donors older than 45 choose to give at that stage in their lives.
Mr. Doherty, an author in his 70s, writes in his introduction that he wishes to spend his remaining years as “a more loving person,” an ideal that drove him to examine the motives of philanthropists and charity workers in the region.
In May 2001, he sent out a questionnaire to people involved with local charities that asked, “How do you define success?” and “How important is it for you to become personally involved in the causes you really believe in?” Among those profiled are wealthy philanthropists, volunteers, and founders of small grass-roots organizations just taking hold in the area.
Their motives turned out to be varied. Some donors and charity workers give out of religious duty, while others are responding to personal experience. Still others wish to set an example that others will follow.
“My purpose in writing this volume is to be inspired by others to grow more compassionate and giving in my later years and to encourage you, the reader, to do likewise,” he writes in his conclusion.
Publisher: Jim Doherty, 43 Willway Avenue, Richmond, Va. 23226; (804) 358-0905; fax (804) 353-2029; http://www.virginiawritersclub.org/dohertyinprint.html; 226 pages; $17.95; ISBN 0-9770151-0-6.
