xpands the “time, talent, and treasure” axiom. Warning! You’ll need to buy 20 copies of this book! Plus,
, by R. Scott Rodin. And check out these
If I were still a CEO of a nonprofit organization (which would make me 20 years younger), I would buy 20 copies of
A Talent for Giving and send this book to 20 key people—with an invite to a Zoom conversation on entrepreneurial giving. Must-read:
The author, an American-British investment banker and philanthropist, is on a crusade to inspire donors to become entrepreneurial partners. He writes:
“By simply giving money to charity you are, in a way, conveniently forgetting about it. You can click the ‘Pay’ button and get on with your day. With a single neat transaction your donation is out of the way and now you can leave the charitable work and the worry to someone else.”John Studzinski, CBE, adds: “In a way, it's a lazy option, though hopefully a safe one. If your money is going to a reputable well-run charity that knows what it's doing, it's reasonable to assume it will be put to good, purposeful use. How often, though, do you actually follow up on what is happening to money you've donated?”
If…I were to invite 20 entrepreneurs (including young wanna-be entrepreneurs) onto a Zoom conversation, I would ask five of them to each pick their favorite chapter and share a five-minute summary. (Generous Starbucks cards for stopping at the buzzer!).
I have five favorite chapters!Chapter 5: “The Ts of Entrepreneurial Giving.” You’ve likely mentored others on Time, Talent, and Treasure. Likely heard a sermon or 20 on that theme (just before the church building fund drive). But the author urges entrepreneurs to go beyond the 3 Ts.
Way beyond!Count ‘em: “Talent, Time, Treasure, Trust, Temperament, Tenderness, Temerity—Tenacity—Toughness, Ties—Teams—Tribes, Two, Technology, Trial, and Transmission.”
(Trust me, this will preach!) Fun comparison: see Steve Macchia’s 5 Ts in his book,
Crafting a Rule of Life.
Chapter 1: “Giving: It’s All About You.” The author is a big fan of lifelong learning. (I agree. That’s why I’m still reading and reviewing books.) He shares a poignant word that Mother Teresa of Calcutta “once, unforgettably, said to me: ‘You can only change the world one person at a time.’”
But…is it “all about you?” Studzinski responds, “Ambition and humility are not mutually exclusive: we will achieve more if we don’t overreach ourselves.”
Chapter 2: “Beyond the Selfie.” Read why the author prefers the word “giving” to the word “philanthropy.” He adds, “It has its place, but is too big and too heavy for this book, too loaded with conventions, implications and assumptions.”
Chapter 4: “Talents, Parables, and Growth.” The author begins with the Parable of the Talents in
Matthew 25 and wakes us up with this: “…but you might be surprised by the straight-talking tone it takes.” He adds that the parable “does not make comfortable reading for any of us. It is an exercise in tough love, highlighting the risks if we fail to recognize the true nature of our gifts.”
Rarely do those Sunday “stewardship sermons” feature the boss in the parable. Studzinski: “The boss is clearly a man who has talents in the modern sense. For a start, he is successful in material terms. He is also an astute judge of his staff's abilities, as he demonstrates in the way he allocates the money in line with each servant's potential.
But that doesn't mean he has nothing to learn about nurturing talent.”
Chapter 6: “Trailblazing.” Gut-check? The author shares wisdom if your entrepreneurial genes persuade you to “launch your own project or create your own organization.” He cautions: “You won't be doing this to satisfy your ego and to show the world you can go it alone.
It will be because you believe it is the best way of solving a problem you have identified—
and because no one else seems to have come up with precisely the solution you have in mind. Essentially, you see your solution as a way to start changing the world one person at a time.”
John Studzinski speaks from experience. He’s both a visionary and very hands-on (in an appropriate way). Check out the
Genesis Foundation and
The Passage. He credits Cardinal Basil Hume (1923-1999), then Archbishop of Westminster, for his patient mentoring. The author unequivocally writes about his own “faith in God and its expression through my identity as a Catholic.”
3 MORE. I’ve already mentioned my five favorite chapters, but I actually have more! If you volunteer to highlight a chapter in a Zoom conversation, check out these options:
•
Chapter 8: “Trust Is Key.” He writes, “If the charity in question is entrepreneurial in its thinking, it will take the opportunity to find out more about you too.” (See also why Studzinski volunteers regularly.)
•
Chapter 9: “The Time of Your Life.” Learn why the author became a perfectionist at “ladling soup dead-center with no splashes” at age six! Studzinski is contrarian also: Why the glib equation, “time is money,” is not helpful.
•
Chapter 10: “Hunting for Buried Treasure.” Do you agree?
“…my belief is that there is an entrepreneur to be unearthed in nearly all of us.” And this? “Only when you enrich it with time and talent does money become treasure.” (See my reviews of
Entrepreneurial Leadership,
Entrepreneurial StrengthsFinder, and my article on
entrepreneurial wisdom, published by CLA. Plus, stay tuned for my review of
The Social Entrepreneur.)
This book reminded of the blurb I clipped in 1983 from the summer brochure of the
Montrose Bible Conference in Pennsylvania. The article noted that the ministry was
“sustained by the prayers of God’s people and their financial gifts. The latter are fully tax-deductible!” On heaven’s side, apparently, we’ll see the impact of our prayers.
And you’ll love this: On the first page of more than 20 endorsements for the book—including current and former prime ministers of Australia, Canada, and the UK—there’s a sweet recommendation from
Aves Finn-Dean, a fifth grader! “
A Talent for Giving is the handbook kids need today. It's not a boring lecture. It's a simple plan for finding ways to give in your life. It inspired me to create a new fundraiser at our school in California, and I bet it will help you to give, or give more. You could start by giving this book to a friend!”
The book is also endorsed by Ken Langone, co-founder of The Home Depot; Indra Nooyi, former CEO of PepsiCo; Michael Bloomberg, and the presidents of the J. Paul Getty Trust and the Ford Foundation.
TO ORDER FROM AMAZON, click on the title for
A Talent for Giving: Creating a More Generous Society That Benefits Everyone, by John Studzinski. Listen on
Libro (4 hours, 24 minutes). And thanks to the publisher for sending me a review copy.
View the new series, John Pearson's Buckets Podcast, with AI-generated summaries of John's book reviews (short and snappy: just 7 to 9 minutes each).
View the podcast summarizing my blog post, “Clear Thinking Masterclass” (my 2023 book-of-the-year).
YOUR WEEKLY STAFF MEETING QUESTIONS:1) Warning, says John Stuzdinski:
“If you’re looking for the easy option, entrepreneurial giving might not be for you." (Must-read: Chapter 12, “Toughing It Out.”) He also reminds us, “Let us not become weary in doing good…” (Galatian 6:9).
Are you, as the Message reads, allowing yourself “…to get fatigued doing good”?2) The author acknowledges Charles Handy (1932-2024) “who continually inspired me to consider philanthropy as a way of life.” (
Read my review of Handy’s book,
Myself and Other More Important Matters.) Handy’s contrarian request to a client: “…could you arrange for us to have an hour alone with each of the four most interesting people in Calcutta?"
QUESTION: Who would you like an hour with? MORE RESOURCES ON GENEROSITY AND GIVING:[ ]
Carey Nieuwhof Leadership Podcast (Sept. 8, 2026) - “The Giving Disruption Coming for the Church: Pat Gelsinger on AI and Mental Health” (Note: The segment on giving begins at about 55 minutes.)
[ ]
The Generosity Factor: Discover the Joy of Giving Your Time, Talent, and Treasure, by Ken Blanchard and S. Truett Cathy (
Read my review—and note several other generosity resources.)
[ ] The Donor Bucket:
six resources.
[ ]
Being Generous, by Theodore Roosevelt Malloch (
read my review)
[ ]
The Sweet Spot for Success: Finding the Place Where Your Talent and Passions Meet, by Pat Williams with Jim Denney
SECOND READS: Fresh Solutions From Classic BooksYou have changed—and your problems have changed—since you read this the first time!Book #59 of 99: How to Work a Room For your team meeting this week, inspire a team member to lead your “10 Minutes for Lifelong Learning” session by featuring Book #59 of 99 in our series, “Second Reads.” The big idea:
REREAD TO LEAD! Discover how your favorite books (and articles) still have more to teach you and the people you’re coaching and mentoring.
How to Work a Room
(25th Anniversary Edition): The Ultimate Guide to Making
Lasting Connections—in Person and Online
by Susan RoAne (Dec. 31, 2013)
Wow! How did I miss this stunningly practical book? While I was dithering and missing important connections (in person and online), more than a million others bought this book and have learned
How to Work a Room! Guy Kawasaki recommends you buy three copies!
•
Read my review (Issue No. 285, Sept. 9, 2013)
• Order from
Amazon.
• Management Bucket #19 of 20:
The Printing (aka Communication) BucketThe practical tricks and tactics ooze out—and with 400 pages—start with the 11-page table of contents (why doesn’t every author provide this level of detail at the front end?).
Oh, my. What to read first?
• Five roadblocks and five remedies when working a room
• Prepare Your Small Talk
• Name Tags That Pull
• Great Opening Lines
• Five Fundamental Laws of Casual Conversation
• Fatal Flaws of Casual Conversation
• The Ten Commandments of Connecting
• Working the World: Trains and Boats and Planes
• Plus: check out the author’s recommended reading and listening list
CLICK HERE FOR BOOKS BY JOHN
View the AI-generated summary of “Mistake #2: Reading…But Not Learning. I’ve always been a reader, but not a lifelong learner” (7 minutes). See the workbook, Mastering Mistake Making: My 25 Memorable Mistakes—and What I Learned (10 Minutes for Lifelong Learning Workbook), by John Pearson with Jason Pearson.
NOTICE! Effective Oct. 1, 2025, all 657 eNews issues, previously archived on Typepad.com are slowly (!) being moved to a new website here at John Pearson's Buckets Blog.
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