November 4th, 2016 a book launch was organized by FLO, Ficci Ladies Organisation.
The book Every Gift Matters has been authored by Carrie Morgridge, Vice President,Morgridge Family Foundation.
Amitabh Saha and Parth Vasavada Of Yuva Unstoppable, were mainly responsible for bringing Carrie to India for a hands on experience and an indepth insight to the needs of our society to which her organisation could provide funds through various non profit organisations and help improve conditions in various sectors.
Carrie is a Renowned philanthropist and works tirelessly to give leverage to the money funded by her organisation so as to create maximum impact of every dollar spent.

Her first gift in this step, in India, was a funding of $10,000 to Yuva Unstoppable.
To their credit Yuva Unstoppable surprised Carrie by showing how much more they achieved by that funding which was used to provide toilets in schools and provide  much cleaner healthier atmosphere.
The book, Every Gift Matters also reflects Carrie’s vision of funding wisely to maximize the benefits to a larger section of society.
The book makes for a fascinating read underlining the need for wise funding.(Read the review here)

Carrie was kind enough to share a lot of interesting moments from her life, some of which she has incorporated in the book too, which made for an interesting talk.

Talking at her debut book  Carrie Morgridge said, “The smallest donation on the planet can transform a life – I have this first hand. And, the best part is, it transforms two lives: the one who receives and the one who gives. Through my book Every Gift Matters, I have shared real-life stories of how having a hands-on approach to giving has transformed lives including my own. I believe that anyone and everyone can make a difference in their community, no matter what the size of the gift. The first step is believing you can – are you ready to change the world?”

I also managed to have a one on one conversation with Carrie and tried to understand what it takes to become an author. Here is the excerpt from my interview with her

Ikreate:  Which books have made an impact in your life?

Carrie: Jim Collins – Good to Great

Malcolm Gladwell – All books, but in particular, Outliers and The Tipping Point

Adam Grant – Originals

Malala

Ikreate: What was the hardest part of writing a book on philanthropy?

Carrie: Editing down the great stories worth sharing

Ikreate: Which was your favorite chapter (or part) to write and why?

Carrie: All the chapters to me were pretty darn great.  I had the hardest time writing chapter two, as I never like to talk about myself and it took weeks for me to write.  What I love, is not what I think is the best chapter, but how people share with me their personal stories of how they related to the book or the story.

Ikreate: What were your learnings while writing this book?

Carrie: I was very surprised when I asked the people in the book to help me proof what I had written about them.  All the people in the book, jumped at the chance to help me.  I had at some pointed helped them, and they all felt that helping me in return was an honour. Their help was a beautiful way to say Thank You.

Ikreate: Do you think someone could be a writer if they don’t feel emotions strongly?

Carrie: A person writing a technical book would be very successful without emotion.  However, if you are writing a story about love and compassion the author must have that in their own heart.

Ikreate: What other authors are you friends with, and how do they help you become a better writer?

Carrie: I have had the pleasure of becoming friends with authors who are changing the world.  Dr. Jane Goodall, Amy Newmark Salmon Kahn, Marc Turcek, Dr. Kirk Johnson, Dr. Pamela Cantor and Rick Hess all share the same passion about the world as we do.  They want to help others help themselves, and make our planet a better place to live.

Ikreate: What is the key message in your book that you hope readers will grasp?

Carrie: You have to find your passion to really make a difference.  Once you find your passion, you have to do something with it.

Ikreate: How did publishing your first book change your process of writing?

Carrie: Being my first book, I enjoyed the process immensely.  I did catch the bug for writing, and I enjoy writing blogs.  My first major blog was written this summer as my husband and I mountain biked across the country, unsupported.  You can find it at morgridgefamilyfoundation.org/blog

Ikreate: What kind of research do you do, and how long do you spend researching before beginning a book?

Carrie: My style of writing is not based on research; I share stories that I personally live.  As for book two, it is still mulling around in my heart and head.

Ikreate: Do you read your book reviews? How do you deal with bad or good ones?

Carrie: I do read the book reviews, and I also now write book reviews.  Once I was a published author I realized how important they are.  I have one bad review, and to be honest it hurt, but I learned from it, and I hope I will be a better writer in the future.  On this trip to India, I am asking the good people of India to write a review.  Since I only have 24 reviews on amazon, it will be really easy to see the impact I have on India, and I hope a way to hear from people in this wonderful country who are making a difference.  This is not a time to ask for money.  I will not fund projects from book reviews, just to be clear.

Ikreate: What would you like to suggest to other aspiring authors?

Carrie: Never give up.  We all have a story to tell, so keep at it.  It you work hard, and don’t take the comments from people in the business to hard, you can become a best seller.  What my agent and publisher said was such a gift, was my willing to learn to perfect writing and to accept all changes without having my feelings hurt.

Ikreate: What are your future project(s)?

Carrie: I am about to turn 50 this year, and in celebrating this big birthday with an zero, I have asked 50 friends to join me on 50 islands.  The Island is their choice, and I have a year to complete the goal.  The catch is that we have to “do something philanthropic while on the Island”.  I think this will inspire me to go more, see more, do more.

Do read the book and I am sure it will change your mind set towards Philanthropy as it changed mine.