Happy National Philanthropy Day!

Posted by Keep Vancouver Original CCO (Chief Creative Officer) Shawna Gnutel


"Life's most persistent and urgent question is: What are you doing for others?"

~Martin Luther King Jr.

National Philanthropy Day was first recognized in 1986 and this year, the Minister of Canadian Heritage, has officially declared November 15, 2009 as National Philanthropy Day in Canada. This special day is marked to celebrate the extraordinary work of charities and to recognize the involvement of donors and volunteers, and their tremendous contribution to the quality of life in our communities.

As I was googling away, I came across author
Robert Urbanowski's book, Kickback. Last year, he donated copies of his book as gifts for a National Philanthropy Day luncheon. 

His story goes like this...

After five years of researching the dynamics of successful business, Robert discovered the "Law of Contribution". In his book, he discusses the key ingredients to acheiving a fulfilling, rich, happy life. There's even a quote from Brad Pitt, (the guy who everyone thinks has it all), which will pleasantly surprise you!


When I logged onto his website, I discovered the book and audio available as a FREE Download. I emailed Robert to see if there was a "catch." Here's his reply:


Hello Shawna:

There are a number of reasons why I chose to make the book available for free. Primarily, it is because this book represents a lot of work and a message that has become a passion of mine. It took me five years to write this book, and another year to get it published and into stores. The motive has never been to make money with this, but to get the message out into the world.

What I found was, when people read this book, they would contact me with very positive feedback about what the book meant to them, often asking for additional copies that they could share with friends and family.

While the book is available in stores, and on Chapters.ca and Amazon, I felt that the very best way to promote the idea and the message would be to make it available in a downloadable format, for free. It's a small action that illustrates the principle of contribution. I believe that the message is better in the hands of people, than sitting on store shelves :)

Who can argue with that?

In his book he writes that "many of the problems we experience stem from an incorrect focus."


"We focus inward when we should focus outward. Rather than "focusing inward and asking "what's in it for me" we should be focusing outward and asking "How can I give?" and "what can I contribute?"

And on that philanthopic note, Happy National Philanthropy Day everyone! Feel free to download Robert's awesome book Kickback in PDF or audio format. It's a thoughtful, excellent read! Enjoy.