One Of Southampton’s Most Prominent Philanthropists Shares Her Secrets Of Success

Southampton, NY — Some people inspire others by what they do and some people inspire through their words. Jean Shafiroff, a prominent philanthropist who lives in Southampton, manages to do both.

She’s recently written a book that is a practical guide to modern giving, Successful Philanthropy: How To Make a Life By What You Give, that redefines philanthropy today.

Shafiroff says she wrote the book “to encourage others to get involved. It’s a guide to help people find their passion and to follow it. Then you’ll discover where you want to get involved."

After that, she says "the key to getting involved is to find an organization that is of interest to you and that it is well-run. You can’t get involved with everything, even if you’d like to. My interests are in health-care, woman’s causes, animals, and education.

“I want to help the under-served. And I believe people need to find out where they can make a difference,” is Jean’s philosophy of living and giving.

Once you know where you want to give, Shafiroff says: “It’s not all about giving financially. Of course that is important, but you can also give your time and your knowledge. That is philanthropy too.”

She learned the importance of giving “from the nuns at the Catholic school I went to and from my father, a music teacher who cared about his students. It’s important to care about others and to develop compassion at a young age,” Shafiroff explains.

“What I want to do with this book is to encourage others to give. We have many blessings in life,” Shafiroff says, and she believes that “those with resources have a great responsibility to give back.”

The book, which is available at Barnes and Noble and on amazon.com, was written by Shafiroff as a guide to help people understand philanthropy and how to get involved.

But Shafiroff also says an important part of life is enjoying oneself. When asked what she likes to do, she admits: “I like to go to charity events!”

Living in the Hamptons she has plenty of those to go to, but she does say, “Out here you can be extremely social and also be very private. I love the solitude of the beaches here. They are the most beautiful in the world I think and I have been to a lot of beautiful places. I love the beach near sunset. It it so peaceful and sacred.”

“People who live in the Hamptons are very caring people. There are people who live here year-round who are volunteers for the ambulance and fire department. I am very impressed with the spirit of giving here.”