Giving Matters: Celebrating Charity
Posted 2007-01-16 by Bret N. Bicoy
Giving Matters is a regular column on philanthropy by Bret Bicoy of the Marietta Community Foundation. This column was published in the Marietta Times on April 19, 2003. I once had the honor of visiting with a true philanthropist. This is a woman whose commitment to the less fortunate is rivaled only by her generosity to others. She is a wonderfully gregarious person whose enthusiasm for life can fill a room. But when it comes to her charitable giving, her enormous personality becomes a mere shadow of itself. I?ve always found it curious that charity can bring silence to an otherwise demonstrative person. So I worked up the courage to change the subject for a few minutes to explore this phenomenon a little further. After a fascinating and enlightening conversation, you really could sum up her preference for silence when donating in one very telling statement she made. ?Everyone will know how much I give.? I thought about that for a moment and finally replied, ?But what a wonderful problem to have. Everyone will see you as the generous person you are.? Our society can be so conspicuous about our consumption. We buy our large houses and drive our brand new sports cars. And that?s wonderful. Financial success and wealth is essential to the health of our economy. It is also what makes philanthropy possible in the first place. But when it comes to our charitable giving, conspicuous is the exception rather than the rule. At a dinner party, we?re perfectly willing to talk about our recent ski trip to Aspen, but we?re uncomfortable discussing a room at the YMCA that was named in honor of our gift. We?ll chat about how our recent business investment is doing, but we get squeamish sharing our support for the Colony Theatre restoration. The irony is that many of these same people draw such personal satisfaction from giving so generously of their resources. I am always amazed at the donor that thanks me for ?allowing? them participate in the work of our charity. Giving can fill our soul like no purchase of a tangible product ever could. Charity is almost universally lauded by every culture. Religious texts from the Bible to the Koran sing the praises of sharing one?s wealth. Yet it spite of all that, it remains a social faux pas to talk about one?s giving publicly. Why can?t we create a community where we speak openly about our commitment to something bigger than ourselves? The residents of Washington County certainly have a generous spirit. But too many of us share the fears of my philanthropic friend when she said, ?Everyone will know how much I give.? Let?s make it a point to cheer the charitable giving of others. When you see a friend listed in the annual report of a local charity, thank them for giving back to our community. When you see your neighbor?s name engraved on a plaque of donors to a project, let them know you appreciate their generosity. I can think of few things more worthy of celebration than charitable giving. It is one of the most selfless acts we can perform. When I buy a car, I exchange my money for the dealer?s car. It?s a fair exchange and we both walk away happy. But it really isn?t anything special. When a person gives to charity, there is no tangible exchange of goods. A gift is just that ? something bestowed voluntarily without compensation. If I can congratulate my neighbor for spending tens of thousands of dollars on a new car, shouldn?t I also recognize him for doing something truly selfless like making a gift to charity? The people of the greater Marietta area are already generous by nature. It?s time we began to openly celebrate that generosity.
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