A wealth of new books on giving and philanthropy has been published in the US; just in time to inspire effective seasonal giving.

Tracy Gary, a philanthropist born into a wealthy family, decided at the age of 25 to give away all of her money. Twenty-five years on she spends her time teaching donors how to give well and has recently published a new edition of her book Inspired Philanthropy: Your Step-by-Step Guide to Creating a Giving Plan and Leaving a Legacy.

It is about how to move from reactive giving, that is, giving to the charities that ask, to pro-active giving, or giving to the non-profits whose missions match your values and beliefs. The book also gives relevant advice for people who volunteer their time, donate $100 a year or $1m.

The other inspiring book in the pile is A Kid’s Guide to Giving, written by Freddi Zeiler, 14 years old at the time. Freddi wrote this book to help other kids learn about charitable giving, and it is full of tips and simple and effective tricks for leveraging donations.