Giving isn't simple. Think about the last time you tried to pick up the check for a friend or family member after dinner. There's always that moment where someone puts the card down, and then the other person protests - there's some back and forth. "No, you don't have to," etc etc. In my experience, this moment can even turn a little awkward, or become a battle between family members - who can convince the waiter to take their credit card??

The point is - just because a gift is offered doesn't mean it will be received, or received well.

And this is true in the nonprofit world as well. Sometimes giving has to be strategic to have the best effect.

Today's guest is Paul Ramsey, executive director of a Denver-based nonprofit, "A Little Help." This organization brings together inter-generational groups of volunteers, from kids to older adults, to do some "little help" tasks for seniors in their communities. Picking up groceries, dusting the bookshelves, changing light bulbs, or air filters.

But what I found most interesting about our conversation was Paul and his team's calculated approach to helping their neighbors. As he says in the podcast "You can't just throw help on people!" We'll talk about the differences between the Greatest Generation and the Baby Boomers, how these two groups receive help in drastically different ways, and how communities will continue to change, as each generation reaches the age of needing... Just a little help.

I'm your host, Megan Hannay of ZipSprout. Welcome to The Zip.