I was talking to a friend recently, and he mentioned the Christmas bonus he’d given the woman who cleans their offices. It was very generous. Perhaps even a little too generous, I thought to myself, because surely even a third of the amount would have made her very happy? But then this particular friend has always been generous, almost to the point of extravagance. And perhaps that is precisely why he’s also an extremely successful businessman.

A recent post over on Copyblogger discusses the Secret Trait of Millionaires - and it reads like a description of my friend.

“Despite stereotypes about greedy, ruthless businesspeople, the truth is successful entrepreneurs always find ways to give. They give away generous samples of their products. They share their time, energy and success with partners. They give back to their communities. They generously support charities. They reward great employees.”

I couldn’t agree more. I know times are tough right now, and everybody is feeling the squeeze, particularly at this time of the year. But unless you’re living in a cardboard box, this is not the time to cut your spending completely. There are people out there who are much more desperate than you.

Google’s Matt Cutts is also thinking along these lines. The charity recommendations post on his blog is an excellent place to start if you’re in a giving mood.

At SoftwarePromotions, we will continue our holiday tradition of donating money to the World Wildlife Fund on behalf of our clients. It makes a far more positive impact than a Christmas card, and our clients seem to appreciate it, too.

If you’re still holding on to those dollars/euros/yuans, make sure you read the Copyblogger post. Generosity pays. And the warm and fuzzy feeling is actually just a bonus.

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