Really?
What a counterintuitive title for a message on generosity. At the mere suggestion of generosity, we instinctively look to ensure we firmly fastened the clasp on our purse. However, money is only one product of a generous spirit.
First, Why…
Generosity is alternatively considered a personal obligation or a byproduct of gratitude, but it also has a practical justification.
You have heard, “To whom much is given, much is expected.” With that saying as your motivation, you will approach philanthropy with as much enthusiasm as cleaning out your gutters or folding the laundry. Duty may beget some action, but it will not make you a cheerful giver.
Charitable acts are a natural response to gratitude. Can you be truly grateful without sharing? When you appreciate what you have, you are inspired to provide others with something they can be thankful for.
For those not susceptible to emotional prodding and requiring a pragmatic reason, sharing your resources increases their return on them. The food and shelter we can provide others from our surplus is far more beneficial than procuring higher thread count, Egyptian cotton sheets.
How
Buying popcorn for every neighborhood kid’s fundraiser is kind, but the most effective generosity begins in your heart, not your wallet. Take a personal inventory to determine the cause that ignites your passion, i.e., child safety, the environment, a church, or food insecurity. Ask your friends, tour a facility, or volunteer for a project. Your heartstrings, more than your brain, will direct your decision.
Money is necessary to keep the gas on at the soup kitchen, but our time and talent are equally important, regardless of our available financial resources. Ask if the boy more fondly remembers playing catch at the park with his Big Brother mentor or the remote-controlled car under the Christmas tree supplied by an anonymous donor.
You may be in a season with professional and family responsibilities when you cannot volunteer regularly but can write a check. In these times, you add meaning to your dollars by touring the homeless shelter, delivering jars of peanut butter to the food bank, or volunteering for children’s reading hour at the local library. These small acts apparently pale in comparison to your dollars, but they build crucial connectivity.
Finally, $$$
At some point, the conversation comes down to money. I envisioned invoking the Old Testament instruction concerning tithing and having the post write itself like Chat GPT. Realizing you might be resistant to the imposition of a rule and equate tithing with a mortgage payment, I take another approach.
The first step is engaging emotionally in your cause. Once invested, your heart is far more effective in loosening your purse strings than any admonition.
In terms of an amount, I suggest you start any place (literally $5 per month), and you will be guided to the right place. Most major donors began with a modest donation and built their giving over the years as their connection to the cause grew (along with their resources). You might be surprised that the check you write today might grow 100-fold in 20 years (I was).
Are you worried your generosity might be squandered? It’s possible, just like we waste some of our money. Senior citizens fleeced by television preachers are victims, not donors1. Worried that you might need that money in the event of a financial reversal? You could take comfort knowing that what you gave was put to good use when what you retained was lost.
________________________________________
Search within to find the cause that stirs your passion, and that passion will inspire you to the generous action needed.
________________________________________
1At a minimum, consult Charity Navigator for its rating of your intended recipient.
