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Five Tips to be a Smart Donor and Great Fundraiser

My date and I headed to the zoo for a fun afternoon. With curiosity as a guide, I expected to enjoy the animals and maybe answer a few questions about a guy I found interesting and thought I might like to keep around for a while. The zoo had areas

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A Legacy in the Words of One Man

When you hear a suggestion to share your stories with your children and grandchildren, do you hear a voice say, “They’re not interested, don’t have time, and don’t care about my stories?” In conversation with my friend, Joe McIlhaney, M.D., he said what he’d been thinking for a long time

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What Makes a Nonprofit Evergreen

Roses are still blooming in my yard. Variegated pittosporum is glowing next to drab lantana stems that have died down for the year. What is slow to go dormant or even better is evergreen, provides hope of a forthcoming spring.  It’s like the hope a donor has when donating to

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Why the Holidays Are the Best Time to Model Giving

I’ve shared this story before, but the message remains important to the heart of giving. Take a moment to learn why ladders matter on Christmas morning and all year round. At six years old, I was sure I needed one, and today, I’m as committed as ever to working my

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Five Questions That Will Make Your Giving Meaningful   

Why should you give philanthropically and strive to make a difference? The answer goes beyond different vehicles for giving, choosing the right organizations, and even knowing your giving style. Here’s a hint: you need to know your Why. Some years ago, Curtis Meadow, past president of the Meadows Foundation, dove

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One of Our Greatest Gifts — Our Time!

Dawn Franks has significantly impacted my thinking (and acting) about the ideas of legacy and generosity. When she asked me to consider writing some personal thoughts about these things, I saw it as a great opportunity for reflection. The concept of “legacy” always seemed intimidating, reserved for people with greater

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Learning to Honor Lessons From Our Grandparents

Why do we celebrate Grandparents Day? Grandparents are cool. I vote we celebrate all month long! Originally established by presidential decree in 1978, it is intended as a day to honor grandparents for the contributions they make in our lives. It set me thinking about the contributions of my grandparents. I was fortunate

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The Gift of Giving

The Gift of Giving is a journey into a donor’s personal legacy—the one they’ve been living every single day. It started the day they were born, a story only they can live and share. Their story is their legacy.

The Gift of Giving is not just a book, it is a valuable resource, guide, and tool for givers of all ages at all stages to tell their legacy story. Throughout this book they will find short exercises to help them understand and convey their legacy, in essence, write their legacy.

While the story they’ve already lived will not change, donors can do something about tomorrow by becoming a more intentional giver today!

Available in Kindle, digital download or paper edition.

Your Legacy, Your Story

Some of us are great story tellers, and then some of us are better on paper. But for most of us, our stories play out on a never-ending tape stuck in our heads. Sometimes we feel them in our heart or gut. Author Don Miguel Ruiz says it this way, “You create an entire picture or movie in your mind, and in that picture you are the director, you are the producer, you’re the main actor or actress. Everyone else is a secondary actor or actress. It’s your movie. Every movie has a script. That script is your life story."
FROM
THE GIFT OF GIVING

One Story Across Generations

Golda, matriarch of a generous family, modeled a legacy story for her granddaughter, Sharon, and her community. Sharon learned about giving, watching and talking to her grandmother. When the young and curious Sharon asked Golda why wheelchairs were hanging from the basement rafters, she learned that her grandmother believed it was a community’s responsibility to care for those in need. As a result, Golda had prepared with wheelchairs, walkers, and dressing rolls ready for the future.
FROM
THE GIFT OF GIVING

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See what’s inside The Gift of Giving on book2look.

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Gift of Giving Book

Giving Fingerprints

Sign up to receive Dawn’s FREE e-book, Giving Fingerprints, designed to help you be the unique giver you were meant to be.

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FREE e-book, Giving Fingerprints.

SPEAKER REQUEST

Request A Speaker

Dawn Franks is available to speak on a wide variety of topics to philanthropic organizations, professional associations and community groups. Topics include:

  • Giving Fingerprints

  • How Your Philanthropy Impacts the Next Generation

  • What Story Does Your Foundation Tell?

  • Family Foundations: Starting from Scratch