The Surprising Secret to Increase Giving
You don’t have to look far to see that our collective needs are urgent. The pandemic pause shook many out of the day-to-day haze that kept us disconnected from each other and asleep from the needs of our neighbours. Inflation, war, food insecurity, racial reckoning, climate change, human rights erosion to name very few.
The hard reality is that societal issues are complex and go far beyond the philanthropy practices of 10, 15, or even 2 years ago. Everything has shifted, increasing the need for generosity.
This is true, and yet one in four Canadians (25%) expect to give less in 2022 than they did in 2021 (Giving Report, 2022). In the United States, overall giving trends were on par with previous years, but the “average American gave a smaller chunk of their disposable income to charity in 2021 than they had in the previous twenty-six years” (Inequality.Org).
We’re being called to increase giving, but fall short.
How do we address this? By creating cultures of generosity within ourselves, families, teams, organisations, and communities. Culture is the glue that holds us together and what I've learned is that increasing belonging and connection is central to developing this needed culture.
Over the past two years, I have been activating philanthropy by co-founding the Foundation for Black Communities and becoming a Certified Philanthropic Advisor.
One powerful shift that I have seen is individuals, families, and organizations moving from intention to action on critical issues, particularly advancing social justice and equity. This requires both mindset change and behavioural change. Which, let’s be honest, are not comfortable changes to make. Continuing on the same path of incremental change, listening, learning without action maintains the status quo. Keeping us in our comfort zones where we will miss an incredible opportunity to create lasting impact and inclusive cultures.
For those ready for action, I have launched a company providing advising, consulting, and speaking services to develop cultures of generosity in three primary areas:
Celebrating Black Abundance
Resourcing Collaborative Funds and Movements
Engaging Next Generation Giving
Follow Rebecca Darwent Inc or sign-up to our newsletter to join the conversation and learn how we can create new models of philanthropy together.
