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The Giving Habit
How Do We Foster Generosity In The Next Generation? || on Kids Giving Back w/ Carole Schlessinger
What happens when children learn that giving back is not just about helping others—but also about building empathy, resilience, and connection?
In this episode of The Giving Habit, Carol Schlessinger, co-founder of Kids Giving Back, explains how volunteering can create a “triple impact” for children, the people they support, and the wider community.
Carol shares how Kids Giving Back began after she struggled to find meaningful volunteering opportunities for her own young children, and how the organisation has grown from families cooking and delivering meals into a broad range of programs for schools, families, teenagers, and corporate groups.
CHAPTERS:
00:00 Intro
01:15 The spark: personal stories and early influences
05:32 The importance of hands-on delivery and personal interaction
08:12 The triple impact: kids, recipients, and community
11:30 The mental health benefits of kindness and connection
17:14 Programs for youth: Grow, school incursions, and holiday programs
21:55 Funding sources and sustainability challenges
26:33 The importance of empathy, compassion, and response
30:42 The impact of food insecurity and community support
33:22 Creating intergenerational connections and reducing ageism
37:42 The value of shared experiences and family involvement
40:24 The science of social connection and happiness
43:00 Advocacy, mental health, and the future of youth programs
Carol’s message is simple: you do not need to wait for the perfect opportunity to make a difference. Start small, get involved, and help raise the next generation of generous, compassionate community members.
The Giving Habit is brought to you by The Majurity Trust, building a thriving, sustainable Singapore for all. Learn more at https://www.majurity.sg/tgh
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8. How Philanthropic Advisors Help Families Forge New Traditions Around Giving (w/ Dien Yuen)
47:31||Season 1, Ep. 8In this episode of The Giving Habit, we speak with CEO of Daylight Advisors Dien Yuen to understand the role of philanthropic advisors, how families can benefit from a shared transition towards generosity, as well as how Dien's own experience as a refugee shaped her view of social impact. Find out more about Daylight Advisors: https://www.daylightadvisors.com/CHAPTERS:00:00 Introduction to Dien's journey and expertise02:07 Early influences: refugee experience and community support03:44 The founding of Daylight Advisors and its mission05:06 Skills and attributes of effective philanthropic advisors06:56 The impact of the great wealth transfer on advising practices09:05 Engaging families across cultures and generations12:32 The importance of values, purpose, and flourishing16:48 Cultural dexterity and communication in advising19:51 Unpacking family stories, legacy, and the six Ts framework24:28 Cultural norms and legal considerations in estate planning30:43 Opportunities for social impact leaders and fundraisers37:35 The future of philanthropy advisory and emerging trendsThe Giving Habit is brought to you by The Majurity Trust, building a thriving, sustainable Singapore for all. Learn more at https://www.majurity.sg/tgh#philanthropy #charity #socialimpact
Why Evidence-Based Philanthropy Creates Better Social Impact || The Giving Habit - Reflections
05:53|Earlier this week on The Giving Habit, we spoke with Tom Steele from Centre for Evidence and Implementation, to unpack how their research and unique approach allows charities to design more effective social change. In this special follow-up REFLECTIONS episode, host Stephen Keys looks back at his conversation with Tom to highlight exactly what makes CEI's mission special, and why understanding how a strategy works is crucial to improving social impact. The Giving Habit is brought to you by The Majurity Trust, building a thriving, sustainable Singapore for all. Learn more at https://www.majurity.sg/tgh
7. Why Good Programs Fail At Scale || Tom Steele (CEI) on Research-Driven Social Impact
55:45||Season 1, Ep. 7In this episode of The Giving Habit, host Stephen Keys sits down with Tom Steele, Principal Advisor at the Centre for Evidence and Implementation (CEI), to unpack the science of turning good intentions into lasting social impact.Learn more about CEI here: https://www.ceiglobal.org/The Giving Habit is brought to you by The Majurity Trust, building a thriving, sustainable Singapore for all. Learn more at https://www.majurity.sg/tghCHAPTERS:00:00 Intro01:57 What does CEI do and its focus areas04:11 Tom's journey into social impact and research background06:00 Understanding impact: from theory to real-world application09:04 Engagement timing: from early intervention to scaling11:09 Challenges of scaling pilot programs to national level12:56 The voltage drop concept in program scaling15:49 The role of storytelling and emotion in evidence-based work18:09 Building narratives to shift mindsets and policy22:10 Counterintuitive findings and unintended consequences25:04 Sustaining impact beyond awareness days30:02 Contextual factors in choosing implementation strategies36:07 The importance of evidence mindset for small and large organizations37:02 The role and limitations of randomized control trials44:01 Applying evidence in complex social settings50:08 Advice for organizations developing an evidence-based approach54:09 The future of implementation science in philanthropy and social impact#philanthropy #socialchange #charitypodcast
How This Charity Model Creates Change That Lasts || The Giving Habit – Reflections
06:33|Earlier this week on The Giving Habit, we sat down with CEO of The Majurity Trust Martin Tan, to discuss how their method of collaborative social impact brings charities together, and challenges the standard view of what it means to thrive. In this special follow-up REFLECTIONS episode, host Stephen Keys breaks down what he found most impactful from his conversation with Martin, and what both old and new members of the space can learn from The Majurity Trust's work. The Giving Habit is brought to you by The Majurity Trust, building a thriving, sustainable Singapore for all. Learn more at https://www.majurity.sg/tgh#singapore #philanthropy #charity
6. How Bringing Change-Makers Together Enables Communities To Thrive || w/ Martin Tan
42:38||Season 1, Ep. 6In this episode of The Giving Habit, host Stephen sits down with Martin Tan, CEO of The Majority Trust in Singapore, to unpack how the power of the collective is reshaping social impact.Whether you're a donor, a nonprofit leader, or simply curious about social impact, this is an honest conversation about what it takes to build a thriving charitable ecosystem.CHAPTERS:0:00 – Intro4:18 – What "Maju" means and the story behind the name5:56 – Thriving vs. succeeding: redefining social impact11:15 – Doing philanthropy differently: an ecosystem approach14:38 – The Majority Trust's 12 philanthropic funds17:14 – Inside Foundry: the home of collective impact in Singapore21:00 – Why local context and local voices matter27:08 – Trust, relationships and honest conversations in giving28:25 – Innovation in philanthropy: recyclable grants, match trading & impact-first funds31:31 – The Maybank & Temasek partnerships34:24 – "The most innovative idea is an old one applied to a new problem"40:01 – Gratitude, humility and the road aheadThe Giving Habit is brought to you by The Majurity Trust, building a thriving, sustainable Singapore for all. Learn more at https://www.majurity.sg/tgh#singapore #philanthropy #charity
How Funding Models Accidentally Hurt Non Profits || The Giving Habit - Reflections
14:48|Earlier this week on The Giving Habit, we sat down with TalentTrust CEO Lisa Gainer to understand how skills-based volunteering can create better social change, and how their programs can teach corporates to approach volunteering the right way.In this follow-up REFLECTIONS episode, host Stephen Keys sits down with Colleen Sang to discuss their biggest takeaways from his conversation with Lisa and how aspiring change-makers can learn from TalentTrust's mission.The Giving Habit is brought to you by The Majurity Trust, building a thriving, sustainable Singapore for all. Learn more at https://www.majurity.sg/tgh
5. Why The Best Volunteers Have To Unlearn Their Corporate Habits || w/ Lisa Gainer of TalentTrust
32:04||Season 1, Ep. 5In this episode of The Giving Habit, host Stephen Keys sits down with Lisa Gainer, CEO of TalentTrust. Lisa reveals how structured, skills-based volunteering is transforming both charities and the corporate professionals who give their time.Learn more about TalentTrust here: https://talenttrust.org.sg/CHAPTERS:00:00 — Intro03:00 — What drives professionals toward social impact07:00 — How Talent Trust works12:00 — Real case study: transforming a youth organisation18:00 — The "unlearning" challenge for corporate volunteers24:00 — The broken funding model hurting non-profits30:00 — Who volunteers — and who will next36:00 — The future of CSR and skills-based giving42:00 — IPC status explained46:00 — Talent Trust's vision: TT ConnectThe Giving Habit is brought to you by The Majurity Trust, building a thriving, sustainable Singapore for all. Learn more at https://www.majurity.sg/tghbumper-verify-1da167a4
Teaching Kids Connection In The Age of Loneliness || The Giving Habit – Reflections
04:07|Earlier this week, we sat down with Kids Giving Back co-founder and CEO Carole Schlessinger, to hear how her organisation's programs are helping children learn generosity through hands-on workshops.Carole explained how these children are learning the value of connection and kindness by creating real change, and emphasised how critical this was in a time where loneliness is at an all time high.In this follow-up REFLECTIONS episode of The Giving Habit, host Stephen Keys looks back at the crucial work being done by Kids Giving Back, and presents his biggest takeaways for those seeking to join the world of philanthropy.The Giving Habit is brought to you by The Majurity Trust, building a thriving, sustainable Singapore for all. Learn more at https://www.majurity.sg/tghbumper-verify-309246cc