So much of generosity is personal and individual, as it should be. But there is power in corporate generosity, giving shared among a group for the same common goal.
First there is simply the practicality. A group of people can often accomplish more in the area of generosity than an individual. My children and I enjoy being part of Operation Christmas Child, which is a project to fill boxes with Christmas gifts for children around the world. Last year I decided to share the idea of doing it as a group with my MOPS group. We ended up filling many more boxes than I would have been able to do on my own.
Moms who couldn’t afford to fill a whole box were all able to contribute something, a toy or some school supplies. Those who didn’t have time to shop donated money to pay the shipping and tracking fees. (I absolutely love that you can track your box. My kids love knowing what part of the world their gifts ended up in. One year my son’s box ended up in the Ukraine and my daughter’s ended up in China).
There is also inspiration. When we see others being generous in a particular area it can motivate us to take inventory of our own assets and see how God might be calling us to use them. Sometimes this means jumping onto someone else’s generosity bandwagon. There is nothing wrong with giving to a cause because someone you love is passionate about it.
But sometimes the inspiration of someone else’s generosity opens our eyes to see the possibilities and leads to stepping out into our own areas of giving that we might not previously have pursued.
Finally there is accountability. When generosity is corporate there are more reminders of our focus. Many of us intend to be more generous and we simply forget. We get caught up in the daily grind of life and our well-intentioned plans slip away. But when we are part of a larger group being generous together it helps to keep us on track.
This is the same reason why diet support groups and training groups work. The days I was tempted to give up on my 5K training, knowing I would be meeting up for a training run with my group that coming Sunday kept me on track during the week. National Novel Writing Month is coming up. This is a group of thousands of strangers who all decide to attempt to write 50,000 words in one month. The idea has spawned in real life meet ups across the country where people who up in person to write together. Generosity can work the same way. Community Service projects, group fund drives and other kinds of group generosity have the potential to make bigger impact usually in a shorter period of time than an individual.
While we should never underestimate our individual contributions, no matter how small, group generosity has the potential to have a big impact, both for us and the world around us.
Next – Giving Voice to Our Work: Generosity as a Tool for Evangelism
I used to love Operation Christmas Child but I’ve heard some pretty negative things about them lately. Curious…have you heard anything?
Most of the negative things I’ve read have to do with negative opinions about Franklin Graham himself, not necessarily the organization of Samaritan’s Purse or Operation Christmas Child specifically. Most of what I’ve heard from people involved with the organization and Operation Christmas Child has been positive, including testimonies from adults who received boxes and children and found the experience life changing.
I also try to take a balanced view of giving vs. investing in economic growth. I do believe that creating jobs is more valuable, but I also know most people find buying ethical goods overwhelming. So I prefer to do both. We look for ways to give through organizations we trust. Practical charity and emotional needs like Operation Christmas Child but also economic investment in the form of gifts of animals and other resources through organizations like World Vision and Gospel for Asia. Then I also try to purchase as much as possible through organizations that help create jobs like Trades for Hope, The Root Collective, Vibella jewelry and so many others. I think there is room for all of these things. If we make generosity too complicated we discourage people with limited money and time to research from being involved at all. But if we make it too simple, we discourage awareness. It’s always a delicate balance.
https://bethanyvitaro.com/capture-your-creativity-be-generous-create-jobs/