Giving your all:
Put your generosity in perspective
Australians, and indeed many nations, broke records with their unprecedented generosity toward charities in the aftermath of the tsunami disaster of Boxing Day 2004. Some $A83 million from a country of 20 million in the first week alone seems very generous. And it will make a real difference in the lives of the survivors of the world’s worst tidal wave. But before we exhaust ourselves with backslapping, let’s check Australians’ past record in giving and their motivation for during so.
The Prime Minister’s Business Partnership commissioned a report into the trends in Australians’ giving patterns, which resulted in a report entitled Giving Australia: Research on Philanthropy in Australia (September 2004). Here’s some of what it reveals: $A3018 m was given to all organisations by individuals in 1997, of which $A2768 m was received by non-profit organisations; giving to deductible gift recipients (organisations for which you can get a tax deduction) has risen in real terms between 1978 and 2000 (another survey reveals that Australian gave $A148 each in 2002); 82 per cent of the population made a donation in the period 2002-04; fewer men (52.7 per cent) than women (57.6 per cent) regularly make donations, but on average, men give more; and, men tend to give to sports groups, clubs, art and culture, while woman tend to give to churches, research and international aid groups.
Also a significantly greater proportion of people with some form of religious commitment (83 per cent) give than those with no religion affiliations (76 per cent), and Christians (88 per cent) gave more than those of other religious persuasions (80 per cent).
But it is the religion-based organisations that are the chief beneficiaries of this largess—an estimated $A1029 m per year, according to a 1997 survey. However, if you ask any Christian denominational leader or a local church administrator, most say they’re struggling to balance the budget and keep their church and its social ministries afloat.
And charities lacking the profile and capacity to attract media attention also struggle to meet needs. A recent US study indicated that 75 per cent of money given comes from the pockets of just 25 per cent of the giving population, with those most likely to give being 55 years and older.
So are we as generous as we think? And even if we are, what is our motivation for giving? Is it altruistic, unselfish and devoid of self-interest? The Bible says, “God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7). Jesus spoke often about the needs of the poor, and spent even more time challenging people about where their heart was.
Some people give to get something back. Giving only to deductible gift recipients in order to receive a tax-deductible receipt could be an example. The average claim for tax deductible donations in 2001-2002 by working Australians was $A241. (Compare this with the average figure above!) In Australia, the more one earns, the more one claims tax-deductible donations. For incomes up to $A100,000, donations account for around 0.2 per cent of income, rising to 0.4 per cent for incomes above that, but above $1 million, it rises to 1.8 per cent.
I’m not beyond giving to get myself. Perhaps my attendance at the MCG tsunami victims cricket match between the Asian XI and the Rest of the World could be put into this category. I do love cricket (and the way the Kiwis batted—wow!) and I was touched as most were by the devastation of the tsunami.
Corporate sponsors who are named and congratulated on a telethon receive positive publicity as being responsible citizens. But individuals giving a much higher percentage of their income aren’t recognised.
People do reap what they sow. If they sow well and abundantly now, they will reap a greater harvest later. This principle—perhaps similar to what some call “karma”—works for wheat as well as stocks and shares, and also generosity to others in charity. If we give, we get something back sometime—but should we give with an expectation of a deferred return?
Others give out of responsibility. Consider corporate giving by large companies. For example, the petroleum giant, Caltex, gives a community award in every school in Australia as part of its contributions of profit back into the community. Giving by businesses in 2000-02 is an estimated $A1447 m—about 1.6 per cent of operating profit. The Bible suggests that we should give without glory. Jesus cautioned us, “When you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing” (Matthew 6:3).
Mohammed commissioned all Muslims to give one-twentieth of their increase as alms to the poor. For believers, giving was to be a response to need in society around them. Those who have wealth have the responsibility of caring for the disadvantaged, who lack opportunity. Responsibility can become a duty, but is this the best motivation for giving?
n Some give out of guilt and obligation. Giving, to these people, is like a tax. And tax should minimised. The religious of Jerusalem in Jesus’ day—the Pharisees—gave the exact amount of the required tithe on even the herbs sprouting in their gardens (see Matthew 23:23). The “tithe” was one-tenth of a person’s income, which to be given to the temple for use by the priesthood in maintaining the temple and its rituals, as well as to care for the needy. It was given in obligation. But Jesus challenged them to consider larger issues of mercy and justice for the poor (Matthew 23:23). He discarded their ritual giving as worthless because it was given in the wrong spirit.
People can give out of guilt, compassion, self-interest or responsibility. There are as many motivations to give as there are people giving, and no-one really knows why you give except you!
With our ever-increasing consumer debt due to higher house prices, easy credit and self-indulgence, it’s becoming more difficult to give generously. But our giving reflects our hearts: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21), Jesus said. He condemns giving out
of self-interest. You don’t earn brownie points with God by generous giving (Matthew 6:2-4, 19-34).
One day Jesus was in the temple in Jerusalem, where people were lined up to give in the offering box. At the front of the queue was a Pharisee, who, making a great public demonstration of his so-called generosity, gave a handsome amount in gold coins. Toward the end was a poor woman, who, and when no-one was looking, dropped in a few pennies. Jesus, observing this, told His disciples, “This woman has put more in than all the others.”
How could this be? Because, Jesus said, while the others gave out of their wealth, she, in her poverty, gave all she had to live on (Luke 21:1-4). She gave all she had, and she gave it with thanks and right spirit.
In the Giving Australia report, attitudes to charitable giving were compared across four countries. Australia (20 per cent) rated ahead of the UK and New Zealand (both 16 per cent), but was behind the US (23 per cent) as being the best givers. In the US, it was the poorest states—those in the southern Bible belt—who were the most generous, according to the Urban Institute’s National Center for Charitable Statistics, which averaged each state’s average adjusted gross income with its average itemised charitable deduction.
The World Bank says that almost half the world lives on less then $2 a day. So comparatively, no matter what your income, you’re rich! But are you rich in heart? God would want us to give out of a generous heart that believes God will supply all your needs (Philippians 4:15-19). Generosity is a basic characteristic of God: after He gave us the world, He then gave us His Son, Jesus (John 3:16, 35; 2 Corinthians 8:9).
When your child gives you that horrible red tie for your birthday or brings home an ugly desktop penholder from preschool, how do you feel? No doubt you’re gracious and thankful, knowing that it’s not the gift but the heart that created it that counts. How heartfelt and generous are your thoughts and actions in giving? As Jesus reminds us, “Freely you have received, [so] freely give” (Matthew 10:8).
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