Giving Compass' Take:

• Alan Naiman was known to many as a solitary man who had a deep love for children and helping people. When he died, he left a sum of $11 million that was distributed amongst different charities, as VOA Learning English reports.

• Naiman's legacy can be an inspiration for other philanthropists. What can we learn about planned giving?

• Here's more on what drives philanthropists to give.

Alan Naiman was known for being very careful about how he spent his money. But even those closest to him had no knowledge of the fortune he quietly gathered and the last act he had planned.

Naiman died of cancer at age 63 last January. The man from the American state of Washington gave most of his money to groups that help the poor, sick, disabled and abandoned children.

He gave them $11 million.

The large amount of his fortune shocked the groups that received his gifts and even his best friends.

That is because Naiman had been known to repair his own shoes with duct tape. He had sought deals to buy food from grocery stores at closing time and taken friends out to lunch at low cost restaurants.

Read the full article about Alan Naiman's generous gift by Sally Ho at VOA Learning English.