Boston GlobeACTING GOVERNOR Jane Swift has proclaimed tomorrow Giving Massachusetts Day, but residents of this relatively wealthy state shouldn't need an invitation to relive the spirit of the nation's first Thanksgiving. Swift's proclamation points to Samuel Adams's advice, in 1777, that there should be an official day for Americans to "express the grateful feelings of their hearts and consecrate themselves to the service of their divine benefactor."
Date: 11/28/2002
Page: A30
Section: Editorial
The modern version: Have fun by donating time or money.
Too often people are called on to give money so they can absolve guilt about having money. Instead, the message should be to build: Fill the gaps that government and business don't. From a child who collects money for UNICEF to Bill Gates using his wealth to fight AIDS, the world benefits from people who are driven by the allure of what could be.
The challenge is to make the world a more donor-friendly place. Some people like inventing the wheel - taking an idea and turning it into an institution. Others will find that good institutions already exist - the trick is finding out who and where they are.
One tool is the Catalogue for Philanthropy, which uses its annual publication and Web site (www.catalogueforphilanthropy.org) to educate donors about giving. One featured organization is the New England Wildlife Center, an animal hospital and education center that will care for 4,000 this year, treating animals and often returning them to the wild. The center is seeking donations for a state-of-the-art, $7.6 million wildlife teaching hospital to be built in Weymouth.
For a while, promoting philanthropy in Massachusetts seemed like an uphill battle. In the late 1990s the state was ranked 48th and even 50th on the "Generosity Index," a measurement of how much people donate relative to what they earn. The 2002 index ranks the state 44th. This is still low, but Massachusetts now leads the nation in having the largest increase in its rate of giving.
Nonprofit organizations should take this as a sign to do more outreach to donors, keeping them informed and excited.
The new challenge is post-Sept. 11 gloom. From a wounded economy to wounded hearts, the philanthropic world has changed. The question is whether people will dig more deeply into their pockets during hard times.
This is possible, according to a study of 2000 tax data by the New Tithing Group in California. Calculations suggest that nationwide, people with adjusted gross incomes of more than $100,000 per year can afford to give more than they do.
Giving more time, money, or even thought will help Giving Massachusetts Day become a permanent chance to encourage generosity - and to celebrate exhilarating change.