SOCIAL VALUES IN FAMILIES, IN COMMUNITY AND FOR-PROFIT AND NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS

Albion, Mark S.  True to Yourself: leading a values-based business.  San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler, ©2006. A guide to using a small business "as a force for social change," and, along the way, building "a better world for us all.

Corbett, David D.  Portfolio Life: the new path to work, purpose, and passion after 50.  San Francisco:  Jossey-Bass, ©2007 Instead of abandoning work altogether, Corbett proposes the portfolio concept through which people can refocus later in life on the preferred skills and meaningful pursuits that suit them best.

Mancuso, Anthony.  How to Form a Nonprofit Corporation.  8th edition. Nolo, ©2007.  How to form a nonprofit organization without incurring enormous legal fees.

Mortenson, Greg and Relin, David Oliver.  Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace -- One School at a Time.  Penguin USA, ©2007. Lost after failing to climb K2, Mortenson was sheltered and nursed in a remote Pakistani village; he promised to return and build them a school. This led to his heading a charitable institute that provides impoverished children in Pakistan and Afghanistan with an education.

Norton, Michael.  365 ways to change the world: how to make a difference--one day at a time.  New York: Free Press, ©2007.  Information and ideas that don't take a lot of special skills to put into action, but will achieve something positive.

Szakos, Kristin Layng and Joe Szakos.  We Make Change: community organizers talk about what they do--and why. Vanderbilt University Press, ©2007. Explores the world of community organizing through the voices of in-depth profiles of real people working in the field, in small towns and city neighborhoods-women and men of different races and economic backgrounds, from those in their twenties to those in their sixties.

ETHICAL WILLS

Abrahams, Israel, ed.  Hebrew Ethical Wills.  Jewish Publications Society, ©2006.  First published in 1926, this expanded edition includes new material…and a bibliography of state-of-the-art scholarship on the issues and themes of ethical wills. The texts provide us with rich and intriguing evidence of pre-modern notions of parenthood and childhood as well as inspiration for those who want to write their own ethical wills.

Baines, Barry K.  Ethical Wills: Putting Your Values On Paper. Perseus Books, ©2006.  Sees ethical wills as a benefit to the dying, as well as those not facing imminent death to help people clarify and communicate their experience. Discusses their history, their significance and how to make them, with numerous examples.

Brokering, Herbert.  I Will to You: Leaving a Legacy for Those You Love.  Augsburg Fortress, ©2006. Brokering shows us the importance of the holidays and spiritual matters and reminds us that our memories and stories will be passed on through our children and families in years to come.

Meredith, Joy.  My Last Wishes: A Journal of Life, Love, Laughs, & a Few Final Notes.  Harpercollins, ©2007. Formatted like a journal, answering Meredith’s questions lets you leave behind the answers as a gift to yourself and your loved ones and inspires you to treasure your life today, and look forward to the life you have yet to live.

Polce-Lynch, Mary.  Nothing Left Unsaid: creating a healing legacy with final words and letters.  New York: Marlowe & Co., ©2006.  A nondenominational approach that shows how to craft "Final Words," a last communication to leave behind for a spouse, parent, friend, son, daughter, or grandchildren.

Turnbull, Susan B.  Wealth of Your Life: a step by step guide for creating your ethical will.  Benedict Press, ©2005. A working guide for creating a personal legacy letter, or Ethical Will. It takes an ancient instrument - the Ethical Will - and makes it relevant and accessible for a contemporary audience and gives you everything you need to write your own treasured Ethical Will.

PRESERVING LIFE STORIES

Franco, Carol and Lineback, Kent.  The Legacy Guide: capturing the facts, memories, and meaning of your life.  Putnam, ©2006.  Takes you step-by-step through the seven stages of life-such as childhood, adolescence, young adulthood, etc.-to recall moments long forgotten and to discover their significance. Helps you fashion these pieces together, much as you would a scrapbook, into a creative and compelling whole.

Ledoux, Denis. Turning Memories Into Memoirs: a handbook for writing lifestories. New York: Soleil Press, ©2005. Contains helpful suggestions for remembering, researching, organizing, collecting and writing memories and family or personal stories. It is a useful reference and guide for both beginners and experienced writers who want to write personal and family stories.

LoVerde, Mary.  Touching Tomorrow: how to interview your loved ones to capture a lifetime of memories on video or audio.  Fireside, ©2000. Learn how easy it can be to help family members open up, share memories, and reveal hopes and dreams, and how to record these interviews on video or audiotape.

Piercy, Marge.  So You Want to Write: how to master the craft of writing fiction and memoir.  2nd ed.  Wellfleet, Mass.: Leapfrog Press, ©2005. New exercises and essays covering every aspect of writing and publishing fiction and memoir.

PHILANTHROPY AND GIVING

Collins, Chuck, Rogers, Pam  and Garner, Joan P.  Norton, ©2001.  Robin Hood was Right: a guide to giving your money for social change.  A practical guide to donating for change. Features profiles of foundations, a worksheet to figure out how much you can afford to give, a list of resources for the socially responsible investor, and a section on how to set up a family charitable foundation.

Condon, Gerald M. and Jeffrey  L., Collins, ©2001. Beyond the Grave: The Right and Wrong Way to Leave Money to Your Children (and others). Well written and practical. Cautionary in tone; lots of examples. They also do is consider the psychological and emotional aspects of leaving and inheriting money.

Gary, Tracy, and Kohner, Melissa.  2nd edition, Jossey-Bass, ©2002. Inspired Philanthropy: your step-by-step guide to creating a giving plan: a workbook. No matter how much or little you have to give, you'll learn how to create a giving plan that will make your charitable giving catalytic. Through clear text and substantive exercises, you'll learn how to align your giving with your deepest values.

Karoff, Peter.  AltaMira Press, ©2007. The World We Want: New Dimensions in Philanthropy and Social Change. Weaves together multi-sector, multidiscipline strategies, but in large part it is about the power of human connection, reinforced by personal stories of motivation and the human capacity for caring. Karoff shows how citizen engagement and open source solutions could tip the scale toward a better world.

Pittelman, Karen.  Creating Change Through Family Philanthropy: The Next Generation.  Pub Group West, ©2006. Written specifically for young people ages 15-35, this gives young people the tools they need to participate in family philanthropy.

Special thanks to Shirley Selhub, Cyndi Jones, Beth Tishler and Cathy Balshone, reference librarian at the Newton Free Library, for compiling the many legacy resources.