Best-Selling Author Speaks Candidly About Economic Crisis’ Impact on Giving
“Give to Live” Author Lawson Offers Advice to Nonprofits and Donors, Alike
(October 17, 2008) America is a nation of givers, says best-selling author and nonprofit consultant Dr. Douglas M. Lawson – especially so during even the worst of economic times, such as those the country is experiencing today.
Dr. Lawson will address a gathering of area philanthropists, financial advisors and others Thursday, October 30, in an address sponsored by the Community Foundation of Greater New Britain, Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Hartford and Main Street Community Foundation. The event will take place at the Pond House Café, 1555 Asylum Avenue, West Hartford, from 5:30-7:30 p.m., and is open to the public at no cost. Limited space is available and reservations are required – please call (860) 229-6018 to reserve your space and for further information.
Dr. Lawson, the author of the best-selling book “Give to Live: How Giving Can Change Your Life” as well as numerous other publications and articles, recently took time out to talk briefly about his presentation, “Inspired Giving: Finding Meaning in Charitable Giving,” and the current state of philanthropy in America.
Q) How can giving change one’s life?
A) The truth of the matter is all of us want what Thomas Jefferson said was our inalienable right, to pursue happiness. In today’s financial crisis, it is more apparent than ever that many of us have tried to find happiness the wrong way – by accumulating money. But that doesn’t quite bring us what we’re looking for. Then all of a sudden we find someone in need, and we reach out, either as a volunteer or we reach into our pocketbook, to try to help. And in helping others, our lives are changed; we get back that one thing we’ve been looking for all our lives – happiness. Giving is the greatest joy in the world, and if you’ve never experienced it, you’ll find it’s the one way to find what you’ve been seeking all your life.
Q) Are we a nation of givers?
A) Yes, we are the most generous people on earth. Last year we gave $300 billion away, and to segue into what’s happening in today’s economy, giving really has nothing to do with money.
Since 1940, we’ve had 10 recessions and many other crises, and in every case, giving has gone up that particular year, except once. In 1987, for the only time since 1940, giving went down, and guess by how much? Only 1 percent. Now, I can’t prove that all of a sudden we’re not going to change and giving won’t go way down, but I don’t think it will.
Q) Does one have to be wealthy to be a philanthropist?
A) No. The most precious thing you have to give is what both the rich and poor person has an equal amount of – 24 hours in a day. I’ll tell you a quick story: I came from a blue collar family in Virginia and when I was going through school, needless to say I was leveraged up to my eyeballs. I had to borrow my way through. I had no money, it was Christmas, and I had a 6-year-old boy. I didn’t know what I was going to get him for Christmas. I don’t know where this came from, but I got a Christmas card, and in the card I wrote, “Dear Sam, for Christmas this year I’m going to give you one hour of every day of my life next year. Merry Christmas, Dad.” The first day after Christmas I came home, and here was this little boy looking at me and saying, “Dad, Dad – can we have hour time?” The thing was, in his mind it was O-U-R time – it was never spelled H-O-U-R. I think frankly of all the things I’ve ever given, that was the most special. Even the poorest person has time to give.
Q) What would you say is the single biggest misconception out there for those considering getting involved in philanthropy?
A) The biggest misconception is that charities are a waste of money, they are just going to spend money indiscriminately and it won’t get to the people who need it. Yes, there are charities that have mismanaged money, and there are charities that spend too much money on administration or new buildings or fundraising or whatever. But the majority of charities in this country do an excellent job of taking donations and seeing to it that they are distributed correctly. But there are often big misunderstandings about why charities have administrative overhead and why they have fundraising costs.
Q) Can philanthropy change the world?
A) Well, as a matter of fact, people like Mother Theresa and others who set out to do that, in many, many ways they not only directly changed the world they reached out to, but their influence has been enormous in getting others involved. So, did Mother Theresa change the world? Of course she didn’t really change it, but she did start the world changing. One person can make an incredible difference, and they can change the attitudes of others. And if attitudes are changed among hundreds or thousands of people in the world, who knows what impact that has? Who knows what effect Mother Theresa had on Bill Gates or others like him? But I suspect she did.
Q) In these difficult economic times, nonprofits will certainly be among the first to suffer. How would you advise nonprofits to weather this current economic storm?
A) My hope is that somehow, of course, we can get this crisis behind us, but that’s not what is going to spur giving. Times are going to be tough; they are tough already for many people. Charities are going to be pressed to do more, and they already are; soup kitchens are being pressed, homeless shelters are being pressed. I’ve worked with thousands of charities over the last 40 years, and what they need to do is turn to their existing donors. In times of crisis, Americans – who are givers – give more when asked because their neighbors are hurting. But the one mistake that a charity can make right now is to spend their money on trying to get new donors, or to spend their money on trying to get someone who has been telling them no for 10 years, to say yes. Givers come through; that has been consistent in American history.
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