The Power of Giving

With the financial meltdown reaching ever deeper into our lives, I am wondering about the legacy of "profit." It seems to me that "interest" and "profit" and "getting mine" as the ground rules of economy have led us inexorably to an exploited, impoverished Earth, a very few fat cats, and a distressing erosion of the middle class.

This timely new book greatly broadens our understanding of the value of giving, an antidote, you might say, to "taking profits" as our primary modus operandi. It's called The Power of Giving: How Giving Back Enriches Us All by Azim Jamal and Harvey McKinnon. $25 hardcover, from Penguin.

This accessible guide from two Vancouver visionaries teaches a precious lesson: the more you give, the more you have-and helps you appreciate the many unexpected gifts you are able to offer others (beyond just money!).

When most of us think of giving, we usually think only in terms of time or money, things we would like to share but barely have enough of for ourselves. But we have far more to give than we realize, and we stand to benefit more from giving than we can begin to imagine.

In The Power of Giving, Azim Jamal and Harvey McKinnon expand “giving” to include the giving of kindness, ideas, advice, attention, skills, time, hope, love, touch, and much more.

Highlighting such practices as “escalator giving,” “intrapersonal tithing,” and “idea tithing” (among others), this lively guide to every facet of giving helps us understand why we should give and what each of us has to give—as well as to whom, how, when, and how much to give. This is generosity education in spades!

Equally significant as the difference that giving makes in the lives of others is the difference that it makes in our own lives, with benefits ranging from the practical, such as improved health and professional connections, to the intangible, like hope and a sense of connection with others.

We hope that this book will help you become a better giver—more generous, more strategic—and that you in turn will help others to become better givers too… We hope we can inspire you to become more involved in your community and to be more generous with your time and money.

Full of personal stories and inspirational ideas, thought-provoking exercises that help the reader discover what they have to give and how to best give it, and special sections on corporate giving, teaching children how to give, giving forgiveness, giving what we need to receive, and giving wisely for maximum impact and benefit, The Power of Giving shows us how the act of giving is a fundamental human need with the power to enrich all our lives. It is a compelling read for anyone interested in improving the world, and blossoming their own hearts and lives in the process.