Making Generosity Part of Everyday Life | Tammy Kyte
Episode Overview
What if generosity wasn’t something you reacted to… but something you actually built into your life?
In this conversation, Shannon sits down with Tammy Kyte from GiveWise to talk about what it looks like to make giving a regular part of everyday life, not just something we think about when a need shows up.
This isn’t a conversation about pressure or guilt. It’s about removing friction. It’s about realizing that generosity is already in you—and learning how to make space for it consistently.
Through simple stories and practical examples, this episode explores how anyone—regardless of income, season, or stage of life—can take part in meaningful, steady generosity.
Why This Conversation Matters
Most people want to give.
But life gets full. Money feels tight. Decisions pile up. And generosity quietly slips into the “someday” category.
This episode challenges that pattern.
Tammy shares how small, consistent actions—not big, one-time moments—are what actually shape a life of generosity. And how the right tools can make that easier, not more complicated.
What You’ll Hear in This Episode
Generosity is for everyone
Not just people with extra. Not just people in certain seasons.
Simple acts—time, attention, small gifts—carry real weight.
Consistency matters more than size
A small amount given regularly often has more impact than a large, occasional gift.
It also changes something in you. It becomes part of how you live.
Why giving often feels harder than it should
Paperwork, decisions, and friction can stop good intentions in their tracks.
Simplifying the process removes that barrier.
The role of family and legacy
How generosity gets passed down through conversation, not just instruction.
Questions like “Where do you want to give, and why?” shape people for life.
The power of collective impact
Small gifts, when combined, become something much bigger than they seem on their own.
Stories That Stay With You
A few moments from this conversation that quietly carry weight:
A simple act during COVID—buying flowers and dropping them off for neighbours—cut through isolation and reminded people they weren’t alone.
Families inviting their kids into giving decisions, turning generosity into something shared, not assumed.
Everyday people giving small amounts that, together, funded something meaningful.
None of these are dramatic. That’s the point.
They’re ordinary. And they matter.
A Simple Shift
One idea sits underneath this whole conversation:
Generosity works best when it’s built into your life, not added onto it.
When it becomes part of your rhythm—like saving, budgeting, or planning—it stops feeling like effort and starts feeling natural.
Less decision fatigue. More follow-through.
One Small Step This Week
Pick a number.
Not a big one. Just an intentional one.
Set aside a small amount—monthly, biweekly, whatever works—and dedicate it to generosity.
Then watch what happens.
Not just in what you give, but in how you start to see people.
Final Thought
Being a good neighbour rarely looks dramatic.
It looks like showing up.
It looks like paying attention.
It looks like choosing to give, again and again, in small ways.
And over time, those small choices shape something much bigger than we expect.
Guest Links
GiveWise: https://www.givewise.ca/
Produced By:
Episode transcript Read the full transcript
A Simple Act of Generosity
Tammy Kyte: I think back of something just came to my mind during COVID when it was like, one of those cold nights and there's nothing to do in the winter and everything's shut down, and you're, like, just kind of feeling glum and sorry for yourself. And my daughter and I, I was like, what if we just went out and let's go buy 10 bouquets of flowers and just go deliver them to people? And it was so fun. Like, it was nothing and we had nothing to do. So it wasn't even a huge sacrifice, but just that act of, like, dropping off flowers at the door lifted our spirit so much.
Making Generosity Part of Everyday Life
Johan Heinrichs: What if generosity wasn't something you reacted to, but something you actually built into your life? Because most of us want to give. We care about our communities, our churches, the people around us. But between the busy schedules, fluctuating income, and trying to stay organized, it's easy for generosity to become inconsistent or even forgotten. Hey, everyone. Welcome to another episode of Neighbourly, a podcast geared toward stories to inspire us to love our neighbours better. I'm Johan, your producer, and today Shannon sits down with Tammy Kyte, one of the people behind GiveWise, a platform designed to make giving simpler and more consistent. But this isn't a conversation just about a tool. It's about a bigger question.
Johan Heinrichs: How do we make generosity part of our everyday lives and not just something we think about when we're asked? So let's join Shannon and Tammy at the table.
Shannon: Tammy, thank you so much for coming on the Neighbourly podcast today. I've been so excited to have this conversation. I think it's going to be a little bit of a unique conversation than some of the usual ones, but I think it's going to be just as meaningful. And I can't wait for our audience to hear more about you and hear more about GiveWise. So welcome.
Tammy Kyte: Thank you. Thank you so much for having me, Shannon. I'm excited to be here. And, yeah, I'm excited because I just visited your beautiful city a week ago for the very first time, and the people there are just so warm and friendly.
Shannon: So I'm so glad. I love Winnipeg. We always kick us off with the same icebreaker question for everybody. So, growing up, who was a neighbour that you will never forget?
Tammy Kyte: Yeah, that one took me a little bit of thinking because I grew up in the country, and so we didn't have a lot of neighbours. So I was thinking, who can be in place of my neighbours? And in light of that, we're talking a lot about generosity today. I really thought of my aunt and uncle, who we got to spend a lot of time with. And so they didn't live next door, but it kind of felt like they did because we spent a lot of time together. My cousins were much younger. I got to boss them around and babysit them along with my little brother. But my aunt and uncle were very special in that they were so generous. And I just remember, like, going out for dinner with them all the time.
Tammy Kyte: Our parents would argue back and forth about who got to pay the bill, and they were just, like, super generous with their giving. And in my later years, after I finished university, I worked for a non-profit for a year, and they were, like, some of my biggest supporters. So I would say that they're family and substitute for neighbours.
From Building Homes to Building a Giving Platform
Shannon: Yeah, I think those are some of the best examples of neighbours that we can have, even if they live close or not. Family that really shows us what generosity looks like is some of the best examples, for sure. Well, I'd love to introduce our audience to you. You and your husband had built a successful home building business for over a decade. Just tell us a little bit about that season, what that was like, and just what was stirring in you during that time.
Tammy Kyte: Yeah, we loved what we did. We started by building a couple of houses for ourself and just kind of built and flipped. We were both teachers at the time, and so, you know, we had summers off. We thought we might as well do some extra work. And it was a great season. It was fun working together. We had our unique roles as a couple, and we're able to build up some equity doing that. And it was a bit of a crazy time.
Tammy Kyte: We started having kids at that time. We have two kids. And, you know, as a mom, it was a little crazy trying to be in business and raise your kids, but it also gave me the amazing opportunity to have them with me a lot of the times and swap off with my husband for different things. So it was really a great start to a family and a great start to a business. Although we loved building and we. We loved the work, we loved the people that we worked with. We felt a strong purpose in building homes and the various relationships. But we also wanted to always tie our success with involvement in the community and just thinking, you know, beyond the construction, but just the idea that not everyone has the ability to build, like, a very nice custom home.
Tammy Kyte: And so it made us start thinking about ensuring what can we do to ensure everyone has access to something as foundational as housing.
Shannon: Yeah, it's a neat evolution then, to hear what the core then kind of was. It sounds like before, like the origin, before GiveWise was GiveWise, that there was always a mission, there was always something there for your family that you knew that this was more than just about building homes, but creating access, it sounds like for everyone.
Tammy Kyte: Exactly.
Why GiveWise Was Created
Shannon: So when you and your husband started building GiveWise, what were you trying to solve or what problem were you trying to address through that?
Tammy Kyte: Yeah, basically a couple of things. When we learned about the concept, it really struck with us because it's like a charitable bank account. And I won't get into too much detail yet, but the idea is that when you're a builder, you have really high income years and really low income years. We realized this is something that we could really use because it would help level out our giving. And also it would help. I don't like administration. I can be messy and disorganized. And so trying to keep a spreadsheet and finding all the receipts at the end of the year for the accountant was never my dream.
Tammy Kyte: And so the idea that it could all be in one place really spoke to both Dan and I. So we were really just excited about the idea.
Generosity as an Everyday Practice
Shannon: Yeah, I'm excited to get a little bit more into the practicality of GiveWise. But first, just talking about that, that shift from going from this business that you were building and then starting GiveWise, I guess how has that changed your view of generosity or has it changed your view of generosity today?
Tammy Kyte: Yeah, I think a couple of things. I was reflecting on that this morning, and I guess the biggest thing is that I feel like I've always thought that generosity is innate and it's in all of us, but it needs to be part of our everyday life, not just when we're asked, you know. And so how do we ingrain that into our lives, into our kids lives, into those people's lives around us? And I really realized that a lot of it is storytelling and visibility to the needs and giving people a simple and easy way to make it happen. Because people's lives are busy and they're complicated. And we were business owners and we worked with a lot of other business owners and, you know, young families. There's a lot of things going on, but how could we simplify the act of giving and not have these complicated spreadsheets so that it felt fun and there was more of a joy and in it.
Shannon: I love that. And you kind of touched on this earlier that, you know, giving is for ordinary people. And I think there's a sometimes a perception or misconception out there that we have to have a lot to be able to give. Why does it matter to you that giving be so accessible and it not just be for those that do have more significant wealth?
Tammy Kyte: Yeah. I think really a lot of it has to do with the individual. Like giving. We think it's for the other, and it is, and it's important, but it's also for us. It's for ourselves. Right. And it's so true. Like, there's so many times where, because it's simple, I can just give easily.
Tammy Kyte: I already have the money put aside. And then there's such joy that comes in that giving. And I'm talking through the eyes of GiveWise, but in a broader context. We all know, you know, going out and just meeting a need that we see in the community, whether it's money or time or. Or whatever, you know, it's. It's a. Such a great practice to do. I think back of something just came to my mind during COVID when it was like one of those cold nights and there's nothing to do in the winter and everything's shut down, and you're like, just kind of feeling glum and sorry for yourself and.
Tammy Kyte: And my daughter and I, because, you know, everybody lived at home at that time. I was like, what if we just went out? You know, grocery stores are still open. Let's go buy 10 bouquets of flowers and just go deliver them to people. Yeah. And it was so fun. Like, it was nothing and we had nothing to do. So it wasn't even a huge sacrifice. But it just.
Tammy Kyte: That act of like, dropping off flowers at the door lifted our spirit so much.
Shannon: Yeah.
Tammy Kyte: You know, so I think it's so much for the giver as well.
How GiveWise Works
Shannon: Absolutely. Well, let's get into more of what exactly GiveWise is. How would you explain it to someone who is hearing about it for the first time? Or you're just wanting. With friends around the table. What would you say?
Tammy Kyte: Yeah. So GiveWise is an online giving platform. So it's simple to set up like you make any online account these days. Your name, your email, you confirm it. And then you have a giving fund with GiveWise. And the giving fund acts like a charitable bank account. So you get to put money in and give out at any time.
Tammy Kyte: So it allows it to kind of separate those two things. It can be together. You could put money in today, give it out today to your favourite cause or your favourite charity, or you can put it in, save it up for a bigger project or something like that over time and then it organizes everything in one place so you can see what you've given throughout the year to each charity and just keeps everything organized. And my favourite is you have one tax receipt at the end of the year always available in your GiveWise account. Wow.
Shannon: And how does that. I'm already thinking about for myself, having one tax receipt would be so nice. And in our house we have to file two countries taxes each year. And so I'm just like, oh, that would be so nice.
Tammy Kyte: Absolutely.
Shannon: From what you've seen, how does things, things being centralized really change that experience for the donor, for the giver?
Tammy Kyte: Yeah, I think it's just really quick and easy to act on because just like if you go on vacation, you know, often you'll put money aside, that money's already there for vacation, then you don't feel bad spending it on vacation or whatever it is. You don't have to think, oh, what else am I going to have to cut out to do this or, or whatever. It's just already set aside. And so I think that's a really big thing. It keeps it top of mind as well because you're putting money aside for charity and it just removes some of that admin and decision fatigue when you just get things cleanly set up in that way. And I'll just give you one little story the other day from my own experience is that I was reading an email and getting caught up on some emails and friends of ours who help raise funds for work that's done in Myanmar, you know, and a country that has been in civil war and so much unrest and they needed a motorcycle there and it was a small need. And I was like, boom, I already have that in my gift wise giving account. I logged in, I gave two minutes later, I was done.
Tammy Kyte: Wow. You know, and so it's just like there's not those extra steps, I guess, to make it happen. And in today's world, if we can pull off something quick and easy and get a quick win, I think that gives us a little bit of a boost and also meets a need in the world, which is really cool.
Keeping Generosity Consistent in Lean Seasons
Shannon: Yeah. At the beginning of our conversation you talked about when you were starting your business, there would be kind of an ebb and flow with income and how that worked just in that type of business. Can you explain how, how this solves for that and how, you know, this works in a simple way to kind of address that generosity doesn't have to be so up and down.
Tammy Kyte: Yeah, absolutely. So for us as builders, for example, you know, I think most of your listeners are probably old enough to remember the 2008 market and mortgage disaster when all the real estate plummeted. So for us, you know, we had a couple of houses sitting out there. We live in D.C. and so those houses are a million dollars plus for sale. And you know, there was just no buyers. And in years like that, like how do we keep giving to our church, our Compassion Child, our community centre, our food bank? Everybody still needs the money. In fact, they need it even more during those times.
Tammy Kyte: And so in those times, you know, we always tried to still give, but it was often more difficult. And had we been able to put money aside from those very high years, you can put that money in your giving fund and it can sit there and it can accumulate and you can keep a bit of a balance, just like a bank account. If you think of, you know, we always teach our kids, you have your emergency rent fund, right? You have to have like, you know, five grand for emergency in case your car dies or whatever it is. It's kind of like that. So you just have that money sitting aside there for charity and you can give it out in those lean times. And so I think it's a great way for Canadians to just keep a small amount in their. Not like you want to keep a whole huge piece in there for no reason because that money is needed by charity. But I think a small amount is good for those times.
Tammy Kyte: But also, you know, with business owners, you may sell a business or you may inherit everyday Canadian, you may inherit money and you might have a big estate tax like all of those things. So there's really beneficial ways and there's complex ways that we won't get in here, but that people can benefit from tax wise as well to put bigger amounts in there and then give it out over time.
Stories of Consistent and Growing Generosity
Shannon: It sounds like there's just so much opportunity across sectors because you even, you mentioned church, you mentioned non-profit organizations or child sponsorship that I can only imagine the different kinds of stories that people have had from using GiveWise. I'd love to spend a little chunk of time here and just hear some of those stories of someone whose generosity grew or what are some of those things that come to mind?
Tammy Kyte: Yeah, for sure. And I mean, I don't get to hear, I think a lot of the stories, right? Because I mean, people just go on their merry way. But a few testimonials and things that we've seen I can share. And so, you know, in the early days when we just launched and every day we'd sit on the platform and see, oh, my gosh, is anyone signing up yet for this? It always stuck with me that there was somebody who is a young professional just out of university and their first sort of job. And it was so neat to see him put in consistently monthly, year over year over year. And just that consistency with the gifts every time, probably I. I don't know the scenario, but every time maybe that he got a paycheck, he put something in. It was like every single month without fail, and then granting it out.
Tammy Kyte: So that was really neat to see younger people as well just get on board with that and start that habit of generosity. And then there's also somebody in their later half of life who was probably in their mid-70s or so. They started to understand some of the complex assets and the way that you can give those and the tax savings that happen when you do that. And they were actually able to add like a zero onto their gifts. And that was really fun for everyone. And I got to talk to this donor and it was like, this is so cool. I mean, who wants to pay more in tax? Nobody. You can unify people, conservative or liberal, wherever you are on the spectrum, but nobody really wants to pay more in tax.
Tammy Kyte: So if you can see those tax dollars going out specifically to needs that you're passionate about, everybody's on board with that. So that's one of the really cool things that I see that it allows you to do.
Generosity Growing Across Canada
Shannon: Thinking back to starting GiveWise and now where you're at and all the growth that you've experienced, what surprises have you had? Whether it was being surprised about, you know, somebody who was using the platform or just things that have come up that you didn't expect, does anything come to mind there?
Tammy Kyte: I think the biggest surprises recently is, you know, you kind of grow in your own community. And that's really cool because it's word of mouth and that kind of thing. And it's really neat now to get this word out across Canada. And that's what we're seeing. So it's really surprising and delightful to see it grow in Alberta and Saskatchewan and Manitoba and Ontario and across all the way to eastern Canada. And we just. We have a partner now in Halifax who's bringing us clients. So we've kind of got sea to sea.
Tammy Kyte: And so that's. Yeah, that's really, really fun. And I think the second thing is what I touched on in the last story, but the consistency in giving, like, there's a lot of very faithful people who give small amounts, but Very consistently, which is really encouraging, but something that maybe I wasn't aware of before. So that's cool.
Shannon: Yeah, it just, as you were talking, it got me thinking about my own experiences with generosity. And so much of what I have learned about giving and being generous has come from watching my parents set that example for us, just like you were saying with your aunt and uncle. And I think really at the time, I think I took for granted as a kid what I was observing and how my parents were not just consistent in giving toward their tithe and to our church, but in other ways. I think about when I went to university there was. We would always do. Every student went on a mission trip, like a short term mission trip in the spring. And everyone had to raise their own support. And even watching my parents give towards friends of mine that, you know, they weren't necessarily invested in that student, but they were invested in them even if they didn't know them personally.
Teaching Generosity Around the Table
Shannon: And so I guess you talked a little bit about the example you're trying to set for your kids. What have you noticed or what have you learned and what it means to teach your children about generosity.
Tammy Kyte: Yeah, and I think it goes much further than money. I think it's in all areas. But I'll just focus on the money because that's sort of what we're talking about. And obviously it's a huge part of generosity for us. It's been really, really neat because since our kids were little, every Christmas we would give them a gift that we said was for charity. And so whether maybe it started at $100 or whatever and it was like, where do you want to give this? And we usually start with the gift catalog, you know, and they might pick a cow for a family or whatever it is and they would, you know, say their why. And then as they got older, we were able to. Then Once we started GiveWise, we were able to.
Tammy Kyte: We have this functionality where I can put money into my account and I can give it to my kids account or your account or my employee's account. And so through that transaction, my husband Dan and I could move that into each of our kids accounts. And they can now, you know, they're adults now, they're 21 and 23. They can decide where do they want to give that money. And their grandparents have also done that on some Christmases. And so they end up with this neat lump of money in there. And I think it's just part of like just having conversation and being intentional as families around that and this platform just Gives you the opportunity. It's not like it's the magic answer, but it just gives you the opportunity to do it easily.
Tammy Kyte: And then for that discussion to happen around the table, right. Like, where did you give? Why? What's close to your heart? What matters to you most? It's just a really great conversation, I think, that we can all have with our kids and our peers and those around us.
Shannon: Yeah, that's powerful because like you said, you know, we always say with. with CarePortal and what we're doing with CarePortal, it kind of takes the guesswork out of compassion. And it sounds so similar with GiveWise. It really takes the complexity out of being generous, and it's another way of being a neighbour. And I think we're always looking for those ways that simplify it, that make it easy to do but have a greater impact. And so it's just. It's neat to hear that because I think your own kids, I'm sure, are going to then be able to pass that on to their generations and their generations. And it's a really.
Shannon: It's legacy building for sure.
Tammy Kyte: For sure. And what seems like a small tool.
Shannon: Right.
Tammy Kyte: And often technology is the tool. Right. Like for CarePortal, you know, that's a tool that you're using. The GiveWise technology is similar. It's not like it's like the be all and end all, but it is a tool. And when you have that tool in your tool belt, it just makes life a little bit easier.
One Simple Step Toward Intentional Giving
Shannon: Yeah, exactly. Exactly. Well, if somebody is listening to this and they care about their church or they care about some organizations and they're not sure where to start, what is maybe one simple step that they could take this week to get a little bit more intentional.
Tammy Kyte: Yeah, a couple of things. I think one thing is just the consistency of generosity is so important. So just like anything, exercise, eating healthy, taking your vitamins, it's the daily that helps so much. And not to pick something big and overwhelming, but just to pick something small. And so I suggest to people like monthly giving, I know, just matters so much to charities because they know that money is coming. They know they can keep the lights on and keep doing the amazing work that they're doing. So, you know, set up monthly giving, I would say, is really awesome. You know, whatever your paycheck is, put a little bit aside for that.
Tammy Kyte: That's something that I think most people can do and there's times that you can't, and that's okay. And maybe it's more time that you want to spend on something, but make it a small decision and make it intentional. And I would say consistent. And then the other is for those who do have some extra, just actually take the time to think and learn and educate yourself on tax efficient ways to give. Because I see a lot of people not giving in the most tax efficient, efficient ways. And when they do and they learn and they educate themselves and their advisors take the time or their accountants, you know, I see much bigger gifts going out and more impact being made. And that's where it's at. Right.
Why Every Gift Matters
Shannon: So those are some great practical steps. And one last question I have for you before we wrap up. If there is somebody listening who's thinking, I don't really have that much to give, I don't have that much extra, does this really matter? What would you say to them?
Tammy Kyte: Yeah, absolutely. Every gift matters. Pooled impact is real. We've had different people do different things. Actually, I forgot about this, but years ago, we don't even know where she came from or how she found out about us. But in our very early years, a young girl, I think she was doing a run or something. And so she did, she used our platform, which you can do, and you get a giving link and. And she decided to fundraise and she brought in so many small gifts.
Tammy Kyte: I mean, they were $10 gifts, $20 gifts, $50 gifts. But in the end, she raised a few thousand dollars for her cause and it was just really cool to see. And the way the platform works is money goes in, it gets pulled together, and it goes out with everybody else's to that charity.
Shannon: Okay.
Tammy Kyte: And so it just shows that pooled impact really makes a difference. And then I would also say back to the idea of like bringing joy to the giver. Right. So even if you don't have much to give, when you do give something little, you feel a part of something and a part of a community and it can just boost your spirits as well. And just, you know, sometimes we just have to. We're all like this. We can become inward looking and sometimes that inward looking does not bring joy. And so.
Tammy Kyte: Or peace or we're looking at the news and those different things that are happening and that the world's not a great place to live in and it feels overwhelming. So I get that. But at the same time, I think just pick one thing and do that and be consistent with it and just feel that joy and peace that that brings.
Shannon: That's so good. That's so good. Thank you. Tammy, thank you so much for coming on and not just describing this incredible platform. But I think you've really inspired me in just thinking about how can I change? Or how can my husband and I look at our own finances and think about it as this is just about bringing joy to others and making an impact that goes far beyond what we can see, but also internally challenging us to think outward. So thank you.
Tammy Kyte: Awesome. Thank you so much for having me. It was a pleasure.
Closing Reflection
Johan Heinrichs: The stories we share here remind us that care does not have to be perfect to be powerful, it just has to be present. Neighbourly is an initiative of CareImpact, a Canadian charity equipping churches, agencies and communities with technology and training to CARE Better Together. This episode was produced by CareCreatives Co, a social enterprise of CareImpact. If you're building a podcast and want help with strategy, editing or full production, visit CareCreativesCo.ca to connect with us. I'm Johan. Thanks for listening and keep being the kind of neighbour someone will never forget in a good way.
