Thanksgiving is often thought of as the beginning of the “season of giving,” when we give to each other and those outside our immediate family in so many ways. Americans traditionally gather at Thanksgiving to share a dinner and special times with family, and reflect and give thanks for the many blessings we have. Many of us want to share these blessings with others by volunteering and donating to charities. Many focus on charitable giving by participating in GivingTuesday, held in Fayetteville through the Cumberland Community Foundation between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
One of the ways we can prepare for this season of giving is to learn about the many other ways we can give. Yes, we can write a check and feel we have done our part, but we can also give ourselves through volunteer work, which can be even more rewarding and may have a greater impact. We can join a group of community volunteers or perform acts of kindness for neighbors or people in nursing homes. We can teach our children the importance of helping each other, our family, our neighbors, and our community, by these acts of giving.
I found some wonderful books that can show us the many ways we can give and do for others.
1. Why Good Things Happen to Good People: How to Live a Longer, Healthier, Happier Life by the Simple Act of Giving by Stephen Post and Jill Neimark
Guided by 50 years of research, Dr. Stephen Post shows us that the acts of caring, kindness and compassion can in fact have life-enhancing benefits. He and co-author Jill Neimark share moving stories of how love and giving provide us with health, happiness and a longer life. People suffering from chronic illnesses, including HIV, multiple sclerosis and heart problems have experienced great health benefits by helping others. The book offers 10 ways to give of yourself in four areas of life that have been proven scientifically to improve your health — and none require writing a check!
2. How to Be an Everyday Philanthropist: 330 Ways to Make a Difference in Your Home, Community, and World — at No Cost! by Nicole Bouchard Boles
Each of us has more to give than we realize. We all want to help make our community, our town, our world a better place but often don’t know how to get started. Nicole Bouchard Boles’ book is a guide to do just that. She helps you inventory your own talents and skills and gives us examples of ways we can use our “personal resource bank” to help others. For example, she tells of a woman who shared her old prom dress with a young girl who could not afford one; and the family that took in pets for deployed servicemen and women; or the person who had racked up frequent-flyer miles and donated them to a sick child who had a dream of traveling. Perhaps these stories of giving will stir you to give in many other ways.
3. The Giving Book: Open the Door to a Lifetime of Giving by Ellen Sabin
What better way to help children learn about giving than to give them their own book? This book will inspire, teach and engage them to give back to the world through its unique, interactive process. They will learn the joys of volunteering in their community and in the process they will record their own ideas and write their own stories, which will result in a “scrapbook” of their “giving journey.”
4. One Hen: How One Small Loan Made a Big Difference (CitizenKid, 5) by Katie Smith Milway (Author), Eugenie Fernandes (Illustrator)
This story is part of CitizenKid, a collection of stories for children to help them become better citizens in our world. In this story, which is based on true events, a boy from Ghana turns a small loan into a thriving business for his family and his community. Kojo must quit school to work with his mother to earn money after his father dies. When his mother receives a small loan from some of the village families, she is able to give Kojo some of it. He uses it to buy a hen, and after a year, Kojo has a flock of 25! He can return to school and eventually his farm grows to be the largest in the region. Children who read this story will learn how a little help can make a big difference.
5. Giving Done Right: Effective Philanthropy and Making Every Dollar Count by Phil Buchanan
Most Americans give to charity in some way — through their church, to schools both in their community or their alma mater, or to any number of charitable organizations. No matter how much you are able to give, you may ask yourself the question: “How do I channel my giving effectively to make the greatest difference?” Phil Buchanan is the president of the Center for Effective Philanthropy, and his book will share secrets from some of the biggest givers on how to “make a difference.”
6. Giving: How Each of Us Can Change the World by Bill Clinton
Former President Bill Clinton’s book is a call to action. He shares efforts by large companies and organizations, and individuals who work to solve problems both here and abroad. The stories in this book show how the giving of time, skills, things and ideas can be as important as the money donated. We all know about the generous giving by Bill and Melinda Gates, but we also learn how a 6-year-old girl in California organized and supervised a drive to clean up the beach in her community.
“We all have the capacity to do great things,” Clinton says. “My hope is that the people and stories in this book will lift spirits, touch hearts, and demonstrate that citizen activism and service can be a powerful agent of change in the world.”
7. Theo of Golden by Allen Levi
All the above books are nonfiction. Here is a debut novel by Allen Levi that tells the story of the mysterious actions of Theo, a Portuguese retiree who arrives in the southern city of Golden. When Theo discovers 92 pencil portraits of various people in a local coffee shop, he decides to purchase them one by one and return them to their “rightful owners.” Through his generosity he makes numerous connections in the community, and we learn more about the kindness of giving. All this is accomplished before his true identity is revealed.
8. Pay It Forward by Catherine Ryan Hyde
Twelve-year-old Trevor McKinney does not have an easy life. His single mom Arlene works two jobs to make ends meet while drinking too much. Trevor has a paper route to help out. But he really likes school so when his social studies teacher assigns the class an extra-credit assignment to plan a project to change the world, Trevor is inspired. While the other students don’t give it much thought, Trevor decides to develop a plan to start a “goodwill chain.” He will help three people and tell them they don’t need to pay him back; they just need to “pay it forward.” His efforts slowly begin to take hold, and unbeknownst to him, a reporter is inspired and begins to write his story and the far-reaching impact of his “goodwill chain.”
“Money is not the only commodity that is fun to give. We can give time, we can give our expertise, we can give our love, or simply give a smile. What does that cost? The point is, none of us can ever run out of something worthwhile to give.”
— Steve Goodier
Read CityView Magazine’s “The Giving Issue” November 2025 e-edition here.