When most people hear the word philanthropy, they picture the very wealthy writing enormous cheques. It can feel like something reserved for billionaires, far removed from ordinary life. Oprah Winfrey, who has given away vast sums herself, offers a much more down to earth way in. Anyone interested in charity or giving, she says, should start from where you are and what has mattered to you. In other words, you do not need a fortune or a grand plan to begin. You start with your own situation, whatever you can offer right now, and with the causes that genuinely matter to you because of your own life and experiences. It is advice that quietly takes philanthropy down from its pedestal and hands it to everyone. Giving, in her telling, is far less about how much you have and far more about caring enough to start.
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