for lower income people to give their time than their money, since volunteering predicts more happiness in lower income people compared to higher income people.
Finally, when it comes to everyday kindness, the more people give, and the more they make giving part of the practice of their everyday life, the more joy they experience from giving. For example, performing nine acts of kindness per week leads to more happiness than performing three acts per week. Future research should try to better understand potential limits of giving for well‐being and health.
More Joyful Giving
There are a number of practices that can help to increase the joy of giving.
Variety
Research finds that giving in a variety of ways and to different types of people makes people happier than giving the same way and to the same people over and over again. Just like a healthy diet of food, a healthy giving diet ideally involves variety to avoid the acts becoming routine.
Altruism
Altruistic attitudes also matter for happiness, like saying that you enjoy helping others or that you try to help even if others can't return the favor. In fact, research finds that altruistic attitudes can be more important for happiness than giving behaviors themselves. And my research has found seeing oneself as caring predicts a lower risk of dying in older adults than actual giving behaviors. The thought counts – being ready to serve and help matters, even if actual opportunities for helping do not present themselves.
Choice
When giving is mandatory, it does not feel as good; givers experience the most psychological benefits of giving when they can freely choose to do so. This is supported by research finding that voluntary giving activates reward centers in the brain, but required giving does not.
Concrete
Thinking about giving as more concrete (e.g., make someone smile) instead of more abstract (e.g., make someone happy) increases the joy of giving. So, fundraisers should consider designing their donation appeals to encourage simple concrete behaviors, rather than higher‐level conceptual ones.
Social
The social aspects of giving also matter. For example, volunteering is associated with double the happiness when it involves directly interacting with others versus more indirect types of helping. There are no known studies that examine similar questions regarding charitable giving, but one might expect that giving in person (e.g., to nonprofit staff, at charity events) would increase happiness more than giving in other ways (e.g., mail, online, automatic payroll deduction).
Summary: Giving Joyfully
Many are aware of the power of vaccines, and we can increase our joy of giving by giving ourselves a V.A.C.C.S. Giving behaviors that have Variety, Altruism, Choice, are Concrete, and Social can increase the joy of giving.
Conclusion
Fundraisers are givers (see Chapter 18) and also encourage giving in others. This chapter reviews research finding that giving time and money can promote psychological well‐being, the quantity and quality of social relationships, and better physical health – even a longer life. Although the majority of research has been done in Western countries and among older adults, these benefits have been found for people of all ages, and all over the world. It is even possible to experience the joy of giving during difficult times. Giving feels good because it satisfies people's core psychological needs and helps them to shift their perspectives and manage stress. Giving is more beneficial when it is voluntary and not a burden, and there are a number of practices that can help to increase the joy of giving. Some people say that we should give until it hurts, but research suggests that giving until it feels good may be more accurate.
Discussion Questions
1 Discuss at least three ways that volunteering is beneficial to the volunteer and the donor.
2 Describe different effects of giving time versus giving money.
3 How can fundraisers use the knowledge in this chapter to enhance donors' experiences and engagement?
Application Exercises
1 Apply this information in your professional context. How can you use the research to build your confidence as a fundraiser?
2 Talk with a donor about how they have experienced the joys of giving, including during difficult times and in consideration of potential limits to its positive outcomes. Compare what the donor says to your experience and the information in this chapter.
3 Apply the V.A.C.C.S. formula to the fundraising approach of your or another organization, identifying areas of strength and opportunity.
CHAPTER SIX THE PHILANTHROPIC CONTEXT FOR FUNDRAISING
By Pat Danahey Janin and Dwight F. Burlingame
The context for philanthropy and fundraisers is continually changing. Economic upswings and crises, political stability and changes, increased or decreased physical well‐being, including from a pandemic, and finally, social peace or unrest all impact the focus and flow of resources destined to address societal needs. Philanthropy, too, is undergoing changes. This chapter helps readers reflect on the contemporary environment in which fundraisers work.
After completing this chapter, readers will understand:
Philanthropy's definition and roles.
Contemporary challenges to philanthropy.
The nonprofit sector's size and scope.
Digital and educational changes in philanthropy infrastructure.
Fundraising and the changing economic, social, and political climate for philanthropy.
Opportunities for philanthropy today.
Defining Philanthropy
Philanthropy comes from the Greek meaning love of humankind. It is a multifaceted term, with many layers of meaning in both its historical and its contemporary usages (Sulek 2010). Indeed, there are many motivations for philanthropic activities, including the love of other persons, the beautiful, the good, the divine, and wisdom; personal excellence, civic virtue or morality, rational understanding, moral sentiment, and goodwill; and the pleasures of social interaction. The Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy uses Robert Payton's broad definition of philanthropy – voluntary action for the public good – as a foundation for its work. This voluntary action encompasses many forms of giving, volunteering, and association. In this conception, philanthropy is purposeful in both action and intention, seeking to improve the human condition and contribute to democracy through pluralism, community, and championing people's rights (Payton and Moody 2008).
Philanthropy is social action that addresses human and civic needs. Philanthropy improves the welfare