Give a Little: How Your Small Donations Can Transform Our World

by Wendy Smith and Wendy Smith

Book Overview

"With open hearts and open hands, we gave what we could, and a little became a lot." --from Give a Little Dimes destroyed polio. Five bucks can beat malaria. Give a Little: How Your Small Donations Can Transform Our World not only contains remarkable, inspiring stories of how small donations are making an extraordinary difference in the lives of millions both here in the United States and around the world, but also lays out where and...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1401323405
• ISBN13: 9781401323400
• Release Date: November 2009
• Publisher: Hachette Books
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.1" x 7.9"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

give a little can change everyone

give a little is truly inspirational- this quick, easy read allows one person to truly change the world with as little as $5. i'm giving this book as a holiday gift to everyone on my list. have purchased 7 already and can't wait to get more. am even putting a copy in our dental office so everyone can get a quick a quick pick me up! imagine changing the orld while waiting to have your dental work done- that's how easy this is.

BANG FOR YOUR BUCK!

When it comes to philanthropy, I am as cynical as you can get. I did not support the victims of the Tsunami or Katrina. Why? I was sure most of my contribution would be diluted by overhead and/or misuse of funds. Yet, I'm not a piker. Historically, I have given generously. I support my alma mater, any friend or relative who hits me up, and charities that support causes/research for subjects that have personally effected me. Do I really do my duediligence? No. Do I really believe my donations make a difference? Not sure. Why do I give then? Because no one can say I don't. Like I said I'm a cynic. GIVE A LITTLE by Wendy Smith is a game-changer for me. Not only does Ms. Smith debunk the myth that the Bill Gates' of the world are the major donors -- they're not. Every day American families provide almost two-thirds of all donations to charity and those donations are less than $250.00. While there are so many 'good causes' out there, Ms. Smith makes a convincing case that our first dollars should go to ending poverty. Several years ago in Sports Illustrated, Rick Reilly wrote that ten dollars bought a mosquito net and prevented a child from malaria in Africa. Ms. Smith takes this several steps further and shows that saving one child creates a ripple effect that impacts postively not only the child and his or her family, but an entire community. Done often enough the effect can be exponential. In her book, she clearly outlines the causes of poverty and shows how we -- every day ma and pa citizens -- can transform the world thru small donations to dozens of organizations that provide goods as mundane as mosquito nets, water pumps, water filters whose impact ripple. I challenge you to read GIVE A LITTLE and not come away with a new mindset about your charitable giving. And... not be inspired to give small donations to many of the worthy organizations profiled in her book. A MUST READ highly recommended by a former cynic.

Give it a little of your time and read it

At first glance, Give a Little, is a book that has a theme of the transformative social effects of cumulative small charitable donations but it also has implications for national policy. I was struck by several aspects. First, the quality level is high ( it reminded me most of a narrowly focused Malcolm Gladwell book). Give a Little was refashioned from a more academic study with plenty of statistical data into a very readable book for a popular audience. The sense of depth carries through. Secondly, though I'm certain that the author, Wendy Smith, who spent twenty years in the public/NGO sector wasn't thinking in these terms, the principles behind the humanitarian programs she examines also have the potential to revolutionize foreign aid and economic development policies, breathe life into the "civilian side" of counterinsurgency, focus humanitarian aid, enhance public diplomacy and speed postwar/postcatastrophe reconstruction. Smith's chapters delve into a variety of the most successful , and at times least well known, programs that have two things in common: first, they are directed at permanently improving the "human capital" or "social capital" of the recipients rather than sustaining a subsistence existence. Secondly, the programs all manage an enormous ROI for every donation due to generating powerful, downstream, "ripple effect" benefits. Cents given today translate into tens or hundreds of dollars of positive outcomes gained and negative costs avoided tomorrow There are many worthy organizations profiled ( ex. Ounce of Prevention, Bridges to Prosperity etc.) and Smith offers the readers anecdotes that are deeply positive and uplifting narratives of individuals, families and communities transformed by the power of small donations designed to empower the people of the "bottom billion". A valuable book.

Empowering guidebook

So many times I wished I had a reliable source for knowing how to make the most of my donations. I have sent $10.00 here and there to charities that sent me things in the mail that I knew were reputable (thinking, "this is not much - how can this really help...") but with this book it clearly maps out how my "little" can go a long way in making a difference for the better. Smith's book offers the average "Joe" (and Josephine!) an understanding of how much impact small gifts (especially when small gifts are all we can afford right now) can have on other people's lives. I loved the way she mixed in personal analogies with facts and gave lots of resources. I LOVED IT!

Inspiring!

Like so many of us, I often wish I could "change the world" but feel overwhelmed by the prospect. How could little old me make a difference? Might as well keep my fingers crossed that some big corporation, or filthy rich celebrity, will take care of it. In "Give A Little", Wendy Smith inspires us with stories of "everyday" people changing the lives of others, one small step at a time. How could a $5 donation really shift anything? Ms. Smith gives detailed and engaging proof that you, yes little old you, can be the catalyst for big change!