Really?
This title is a counterintuitive one for a message on generosity. At the mere suggestion of generosity, we expect a monetary solicitation and instinctively look to ensure our purse’s clasp is firmly fastened. However, money may be the last element of generosity.
First, Why…
Generosity is alternatively considered a personal obligation or a byproduct of gratitude (standing in opposition to greed), 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 your childhood chores of washing dishes and taking out the trash. Duty may get you started but will not encourage or sustain your best efforts.
Charitable acts are often a natural response to gratitude. Can you be truly grateful without sharing? When you appreciate what you have, you are motivated to provide others with something they can be thankful for without any requirement or expectation of return, including appreciation.
For those not susceptible to emotional pushing or pulling and require a pragmatic reason, sharing your resources yields a greater return on them. At the risk of throwing a stone from the front yard of my glass house, the food and shelter we can provide others out of our surplus is far more beneficial than any incremental indulgence we receive by using it for ourselves. A friend explained, “I learned to distinguish my wants from someone else’s needs.”
How
Buying popcorn for every neighborhood kid’s fundraiser is good, but the most effective generosity requires focus. Take a personal inventory to determine the cause that ignites your passion. Consider what you want to impact: child safety, the environment, homelessness, church, food insecurity, endangered animals, etc. Ask your friends, tour a facility, or volunteer for a single project. Your heartstrings, more than your brain, will direct your decision.
What
Money is necessary to keep the gas on at the soup kitchen, but our time and talent are far more meaningful.
Ask if the boy 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. How about you? Was it your nurturing youth soccer coach or the splashy uniforms paid for by the booster club?
You may be in a season with professional and family responsibilities when you cannot volunteer regularly but can write a check. In these times, I urge you to 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.
Another valuable and time-efficient form of support is spreading the word about your cause to your family, friends, and colleagues.
Finally…
For a generosity message, 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 your rent or mortgage payment, I abandoned this approach.
Ironically, “obligatory” generosity can beget gratitude instead of disdain. My unemployed colleague is compelled to financially support his widowed mom and help pay his autistic cousin’s school tuition. While these obligations are burdensome, he told me he is grateful to have a close, loving family; the opportunity to be of service and the financial commitment fuels his job search.
There is a method to the madness in the order of this message. You can write a check dispassionately but not give of yourself without emotionally investing. Once you personally invest, you cannot help but share your treasure in the right amount.
Your heart is far more effective in loosening your purse strings than any written or verbal admonition.
I could add “giving makes you feel good” as a reason, but the better part of the equation is doing good.
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Generosity is investing and extending the impact of our resources beyond ourselves. Search within to find the cause that stirs your passion, and that passion will inspire you to the generous action you desire and the recipient needs.
