“Talent for Giving: Creating a More Generous Society That Benefits Everyone”
by John Studzinski
2025/Bloomsbury
$26/206 pages
Think of all the things you offer to others every day: you hand out smiles or hugs, let someone go first through a door, raise their spirits through a compliment, or present them with a gift. But in his book, “A Talent for Giving,” author John Studzinski says that there’s more.
He calls it “entrepreneurial giving,” which he defines as “giving your time and your skills, lending your knowledge and resources, or providing emotional support, encouragement and… inspiration.” It’s not “about money at all.” It is about giving as only you can.
To get started, he says, look inward at your strengths and weaknesses. This will help you know what talents you have to share. Next, take your talents where they’re most beneficial—to a place that needs them, a cause you’re passionate about, or an organization that closely mirrors your interests.
Know “The Ts of Entrepreneurial Giving”: talent, time, and treasure. Be willing to mentor. Learn to network and to innovate. Know how to build trust by listening to others. Learn to channel anger into action. And always remember that “The person who can start to change the world is you.”
Every charity in the world is knocking on your door. You’re overwhelmed by envelopes, emails, and phone calls. So how do you make your generosity mean something? Giving, says Studzinski, doesn’t mean writing a check. That should come as a great relief to business owners who are staring at a red line in a difficult year: you can still help the organizations you are close to.