Generosity Path: Finding the Richness in Giving

Financial giving can be its own spiritual path. We have a deep potential for meaning-making and life satisfaction when we look to grow from being occasional, haphazard donors to deliberate, ambitious ones--the life-changing transition from donor to philanthropist.

About the Author :
Mark V. Ewert is a certified leadership and philanthropic coach, as well as a fundraising consultant, facilitator, and educator for nonprofit organizations. He is also a nationwide congregational stewardship consultant for religious communities.

Review :
"Mark Ewert has written The Generosity Path with an abundance of kindness and grace. It is one of those rare books that creates a shared journey between the author and his readers. We never feel alone as Ewert explores the underlying currents that connect charitable giving to living out a set of values and beliefs, while we develop an intentional spiritual practice. Ewert provides a framework for readers to free themselves of unreasonable fears about poverty and from unrealistic fantasies about wealth. He awakens the slumbering philanthropist in us by providing tools to help us become part of a generous community. He reflects on ways in which we are already generous and helps us find ways to expand our generosity, no matter our life circumstances. The Generosity Path has earned a spot at the top of my recommended list of spiritual stewardship resources. I will purchase multiple copies while recommending it to both individuals and communities of practice. This book is for everyone who has the desire to become intentionally generous amidst a quagmire of consumerism." --Wayne B. Clark, author of Beyond Fundraising "Though never stated in these words, one of the premises of Mr. Ewert's book is that giving is a sacred act. It situates the giver and the recipient in moral and spiritual traditions that stretch back thousands of years. This framework gives Mr. Ewert's account of generosity a depth that many others lack. And though he doesn't shrink from discussing the more technical and practical aspects of giving, these never manage to overwhelm what is essentially a beautiful act that has meanings far beyond those understood by donor and donee. It's these acts of generosity that have remade our world and have the promise of making it even better. I'm especially grateful for the care that Mr. Ewert takes to embed generosity in the daily round, in the concrete give and take of everyday decisions, in the times we give ourselves to stop and reflect. Each chapter provides practical exercises to help one or another aspect of generosity come alive. These exercises include a "Generosity Self-Assessment," journaling suggestions, and other practices that help transform giving from an object of study to a way of thinking and being." -G. Albert Ruesga, President & CEO, Greater New Orleans Foundation "Mark Ewert's The Generosity Path walks readers through a process of creating purpose in their lives. The activities and journaling suggestions that end each chapter provide welcome opportunities for readers to take steps along the generosity path with Mark at their side. If generosity is about being authentically present with other people and leveraging the fellowship of community, then Mark has given his readers a real gift through the personal experience and curated stories he shares so eloquently here in this book." --David Greene, Vice President, Bernstein Global Wealth Management, and author of Dollars and Sense: Ten Fundamentals of Financial Success "This book shows that being a philanthropist is often more connected to a way of thinking than it is to simply being wealthy. It offers concrete and easy-to-implement steps to make the mindset shift from being a donor to becoming a philanthropist." --Phyllis R. Caldwell, former president, Washington Area Women's Foundation