God loves a cheerful giver (2 Corinthtians 9:07)! In fact, I can’t think of anyone who appreciates a gift given with selfish motives. Having spent years in the worlds of non-profit fund raising and church stewardship, I’d like to reflect for a bit on the subject of giving, particularly since today’s headlines warn that individual and corporate giving are projected to decline dramatically in the face of the recession.

Mimi’s guide for how to give happily ever after…

1. Give to things you understand. Most good causes don’t just want your money. They want your heart. They are mission driven and want you, not only to understand their mission, but to be an advocate for that mission. So don’t just give to something because your friends are doing it. Make sure you understand and love what it is you’re supporting.
2. Give more. I’ll bet you can. My guess is that few of us truly share all we can from our abundance. Our reasons range from fear that we’ll need our money to the fact that it just never occurs to us to give more. I’m not sure there’s a magic percentage. Some people focus on a “tithe” of 10 percent, but when I think that I tip a good waiter 20 percent, 10 percent for my place of worship or a wonderful service organization seems like a small reward for good deed doing. Each of us has to come up with our own level of giving, I’m just telling you, I know you can give more. Try adding $5 more than you think you should to your next donation and, if you miss it terribly, write me and tell me how wrong I was! When we practice true generosity, we realize that rather than reducing what we have, we have an amazing expansion of spirit. Try it!
3. Give without strings. I know there are people who think it’s wrong for a charity to send out mailings with colorful brochures and solicitation pieces. They think it’s wrong for the charity to have nice office equipment or to pay competitive wages, or to hire more staff…or whatever it is they choose to judge in the moment. I guess the problem is, charities are really no longer charities. They’re in the business of doing good. They have to behave like a business just to comply with IRS regulations. And to provide the best services they can, we should want them to follow good business practices—making sure they don’t duplicate the services of other non-profits and that they are mission-based and vision driven. There’s a science to how non-profits raise funds. Rather than judging, ask why they do what they do. Any good fundraiser on their staff should be glad to explain how much it costs to raise a dollar and what their plan is. If you don’t like what they have to say, refer to #1. But don’t attempt to manage their business just because you’re supporting it.
4. Give of your time. Whether or not you give of your money, give of your time also. And take your children or a neighbor’s children with you when you do. Walk animals at a local shelter, serve a meal at the local rescue mission, clean up litter along the road side. Get out and claim your community as something to love. Look into the eyes of the people who share your space. It’s a small, small world and we are all connected to each other’s situation.
5. Give regularly. Let the causes you support come to depend on you. Even in the leanest of times, you have something to share.