I recently received two books about philanthropy: Successful Philanthropy: How to Make a Life By What You Give (now in paperback) and The Rotary Book of Readings: Inspiration to Change the World both published by Hatherleigh Press. They are quick reads that promote inspiration and encouragement for those who give.

Successful Philanthropy by Jean Shafiroff
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Starting the year off with the intention of increasing your giving is a noble resolution to home in on. If you don’t know where to start in your giving journey, Successful Philanthropy: How to Make a Life By What You Give is a decent place to start. An extremely quick read, Successful Philanthropy provides a broad look at philanthropy as a whole from adding donations and volunteering into your giving efforts to knowing what to expect when you join a nonprofit board.

Jean Shafiroff, a member of many philanthropic boards and a socialite in New York City, lays out the foundation of philanthropy in Successful Philanthropy now out in paperback. She begins by reiterating time and again that you don’t have to give large donations in order to become a philanthropist. In fact, anyone can be a philanthropist. It involves only three tenets: giving of monetary donations (no matter the amount), giving your time, and lending your expertise to people in need. Historically, we think of philanthropists like powerful people who are able to give their wealth away to charities for generation. Today, the definition of philanthropy has evolved. Philanthropy is available to everyone.

Shafiroff also talks about the importance of choosing the right charity for you. That entails doing your research and due diligence about the charities you want to work with, especially if you decide to give a large donation or dedicate entire swaths of time to volunteering for an organization. She provides the best websites to visit to look up the facts about nonprofits from their financials to whether they are even registered as a legitimate nonprofit.

For those who want to become a part of local charities in a big way by chairing galas, becoming a part of a board, and accepting awards for the work you do with nonprofits, Successful Philanthropy lays out what this all means. Shafiroff is known throughout New York City and the Hamptons about the amount of money she is able to raise for the charities she cares about like the New York City Mission Society and Southampton Hospital Association. She discusses how to network on behalf of the charities for other donations. She mentions that this also means knowing when to ask for donations and push for larger gifts to building relationships with people that may take years to cultivate in order to get a “yes” for donations. She also lets her readers know what it means to chair a gala. Hint: it’s not easy as well as what generational giving means.

The most important aspect of Successful Philanthropy is Shafiroff discusses how imperative it is to teach children about giving from a young age. It will give them greater meaning beyond their education, jobs, and relationships. It is the biggest lesson in the book by far.

If you are looking for a deep dive into philanthropy and giving, Successful Philanthropy may not be the book for you. But for those who are just starting out it will give inspiration about doing good in your life by simply giving.

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