Each month, Margaret May features a person, place or favorite thing that inspires her, with the hope that it will inspire you, too.
Bookmark: Like a Library Burning: Sharing and Saving a Lifetime of Stories
Bookmark: Like a Library Burning: Sharing and Saving a Lifetime of Stories by Scott Farnsworth and Peggy R. Hoyt Like a Library Burning: Sharing and Saving a Lifetime of Stories, by Scott Farnsworth and Peggy R. Hoyt is a wake-up call for all of us to "smell the roses." We must take the time to give a voice to those moments in our lives that reflect who we are and what wisdom we wish to pass on to family and friends. There is no perfect time except right now to start telling our story and encouraging others to share their stories, for, as the American poet Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, "...you never know how soon it will be too late." [...]
Bookmark: Let Your Life Speak: Listening for the Voice of Vocation
Bookmark: Let Your Life Speak: Listening for the Voice of Vocation by Parker J. Palmer Parker J. Palmer, author of highly acclaimed books such as The Courage to Teach and A Hidden Wholeness, is highly regarded as one of the most influential senior leaders in higher education. In his book, Let Your Life Speak, he compassionately challenges and cajoles the reader to "live more deeply into the selfhood that is our birthright gift." As he illustrates through his personal life-journey of darkness and light, a more attentive relationship with our deeper, truer self, leads to greater personal fulfillment, "communion with others, and ways of serving the world's deepest needs." Parker seeks to answer this question for himself (and is successful) [...]
Bookmark: Four Titles to Inspire and Inform
Bookmark: Four Titles to Inspire and Inform For those who want to add timely, informative, and inspiring books to their library, let me suggest four recent books published by John Wiley & Sons. Attendees at the national Partnership for Philanthropic Planning conference earlier this month in New Orleans had the opportunity to meet and talk with the authors (including yours, truly) at the booth sponsored by the publisher. Michael J. Rosen, Margaret May, and Brian M. Sagrestano The potpourri of topics included two books hot off the press, The Philanthropic Planning Companion by Brian M. Sagrestano and Robert E. Wahlers, a one-stop resource detailing donor/client behavior, and A Fundraising Guide for Nonprofit Board Members by Julia Ingraham Walker with [...]
The Psychology of Happiness: A Good Human Life by Samuel S. Franklin
Bookmark: The Psychology of Happiness: A Good Human Life by Samuel S. Franklin Reading this book has made me acutely aware of the seemingly endless political rhetoric superficially bantered around "the pursuit of happiness," during this highly charged campaign season. These incessant and incomplete sound bytes are all the more reason to read Franklin's book and find out what Jefferson actually did mean when he wrote about "the pursuit of happiness" in our Declaration of Independence. The author makes a compelling case through extensive research as to why happiness is so much more than just a feel good state of mind. He provides a road map for "habits of living a good life," through a blending of Aristotle's principles [...]
Ask Margaret
Margaret welcomes thoughtful responses and additional questions from readers. E-mail Margaret.
Q: Is there a prominent research institution that can synthesize the confluence of women, money and philanthropy? A: The Women's Philanthropy Institute at The Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University connects the dots among these three issues in their upcoming online conference, "SHEMAKESCHANGE," Sept. 20, 27 and Oct. 4 from 3:30 - 4:30 p.m. EST. The three sessions are: 1) What women really think about money; 2) Unraveling the myths; 3) Change your strategy to change the world. > For more information, download the SHEMAKESCHANGE conference overview.