Rediscovering the Joy of Living Generously

Family celebrates joy of birthday

Going Deeper Than Decluttering When I was a teenager, millionaire Malcom Forbes quipped “he who dies with the most toys wins” and it quickly became a popular bumper sticker and T-shirt slogan. Nowadays, the saying is more likely to be used as an ironic meme, but we continue to put an enormous amount of time…

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Generosity Strategies for the Self-Employed

female business partners

Sisters and business partners, Janice and Jenn Nelson* run a small but thriving real-estate agency they built up over years of hard work. From the time they were young, they both valued giving to charity. However, being in the real-estate sector, their income was tied to the fluctuating market conditions, so they settled on giving…

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Lifestyles of the Kind and Generous

Couple with tablet

Opportunities for spontaneous generosity pop up all the time. Your doorbell rings and a canvasser for Heart & Stroke is on the stoop. “Would you consider giving a minimum $10 to research,” she asks. The cashier at the grocery store asks whether you’d like to add two dollars to your bill to support the local…

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Dollars and Sense

Mom and kids at computer.

Good manners tell us that we shouldn’t talk about money because it isn’t polite. At the same time, we are bombarded with constant conflicting messages. One second ‘money can’t buy happiness’ is on a billboard and the next says ‘buy this product and you’ll be happy’. Commercials encouraging us to give generously interrupt episodes of reality…

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I’ve Got No Strings

Smiling older couple

Building Healthy Relationships Between Donors and Charities No matter why a person gives to charity, the organization they support is certain to be grateful. Financial contributions are what enable charities and nonprofits to do the good work they do. When I work with people giving to charity, they often know which charities they want to…

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Summertime, and the Giving is Easy

girl gardening

For many charities, summertime is one of the most difficult seasons of the year. Even though most of us have a bit more time off and there are no snowy roads to drive, giving tends to slow down when the weather heats up. This may be because donors are away, or their resources are being…

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Giving Out Loud

Father and daughter with ipad

You may not feel like it, but when you live generously, you are an influencer. Perhaps not a 2M YouTube viewers influencer, but your donations model your values, and people are watching: Co-workers, friends, family – not least of whom are children and young people. When they see you give to charity, and know that…

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A Radical Financial Plan

Senior Couple

A Net Zero Budget A few years ago, retired teachers Doug and Karen, created a radical new financial plan. They were in their seventies and their idea was just a little reckless. “We said to each other, ‘Let’s say we live another 20 years – wouldn’t it be nice if we ran out of money…

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Sometimes Trust is a Green Garbage Bag

Girl holding garbage bag

An Unexpected Lesson in Trust and Giving Lori Reesor knows that trust is a key component in donation decisions. While completing her doctorate thesis on Christian giving, she spent many hours sitting on a variety of plastic stacking chairs in a multitude of church basements exploring this connection. Her research process was the same in…

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