Laura MacKenzie reviews two books on real-life ways to make a difference.

Give A Little
How Your Small Donations Can Transform Our World
By Wendy Smith
Hyperion, 2009; 298 pp., $14.00 (paper)

In Give A Little, longtime non-profit fundraiser Wendy Smith profiles the most efficient, effective charities she could find. Whether you want to fight disease in Africa or help at-risk kids in the United States, Smith gives detailed descriptions of the efforts that will do the most good with your charity dollar, and emphasizes that individual efforts, however small, can still make a huge difference.

Spirit of Service
Your Daily Stimulus for Making a Difference
Edited by Nancy Hancock
HarperCollins Publishers, 2009; 364 pp., $23.99 (cloth)

Spirit of Service was inspired by President Obama’s call for all Americans to contribute and rebuild their country. This book sets you up for a year of compassion and giving, and some suggestions might surprise you. In addition to volunteer and donation opportunities, these pages encourage you to be a compassionate, gracious traveler, to scatter wildflower seeds, to suggest a thought-provoking book to a friend. The suggestions won’t all immediately appeal to you, but the book invites you to consider each suggestion and ask, “What if I did?”