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Philanthropy

Generosity is Messy For Everyone

You’ve heard that I’m going to release a podcast next year. You’ve also heard that the theme of the podcast will be Generosity is Messy. What you haven’t heard until now is just how universal that mess is!

Over the last few weeks I’ve started to interview folks for the podcast. One of the standard questions is asking the guest to describe a mess created by generosity. Some have even turned the tables and asked me for such a story, which is fun!

What I’m hearing is all kinds of messy stories. International messes. Local messes. Church messes. Corporate messes. …

Generosity, Jaguar Creek, PathLight, Philanthropy,

Your Kids and Wealth

Very excited to announce that I’m hosting a webinar titled, “How wealth impacts your kids and what you can do about it.” And I’d love for you to join me on Zoom for this conversation.

Parents often ask me what they can do to help their teenagers and children resist the temptations of consumerism. There is broad concern about our kids being inundated with nonstop advertising that pulls them toward materialism and away from empathy and compassion for others. What can be done to help our children break out of the bubble of wealth and privilege?

Over the years my …

Generosity, Leadership, Philanthropy,

Fear And Faith

Years ago I was sitting in a small shack that a family called home. The father, about my age, was afraid of what the future might hold for his family. He expressed his fear through his language, his sad eyes, his forlorn look.

I left that meeting more aware of how the poor – the truly poor – often live in fear. There is no margin for the poor. One setback could set off a downward spiral that undoes years of progress. Thus the fear – perpetual, consistent, draining fear of all the uncertainties of life.

A few years later …

Generosity, Leadership, Philanthropy,

Generosity in Action

Have you ever worked on something for a long, long time … and then found a simple sentence that sums it all up for you? You feel a bit silly. That’s how I feel right now.

For the last several months I’ve (mostly) written about two themes: generosity and action. I’ve talked about how important they are, how they go together, and how they can change the world (and have changed the world).

Then I read, for probably the twelve thousandth time but I wasn’t paying that much attention, the simplest way to say it all in I John 3:17-18.…

Generosity, Philanthropy,

Power Dynamics & Generosity

If we want to give wisely we must learn about power dynamics.

One of the tenets of my understanding of generosity is we must go beyond merely writing checks. We need to build a relationship with the people we are trying to serve. This is why we must tear down walls that separate us by class, age, race, economics, politics, etc..

But when we start building those relationships we will find that our power — or perceived power — will alter the relationship. There are an infinite number of gears and levers in any relationship so it’s easy to not …

Generosity, Philanthropy,

Dynamite Generosity

Is there such a thing as too much generosity? In an age when books like Toxic Charity and When Helping Hurts ask questions about the impact of our charitable endeavors, a lot of folks have taken a step back on charitable gifts. Sadly, a few have stopped giving completely for fear of unintentionally damaging an unseen social, cultural, or economic system.

But is it true that we can give too much? As one friend told me, maybe I should write a book titled When Helping Actually Helps.

Despite my friends snarky comment, the short answer is yes too much …

Family, Generosity, Philanthropy,

Pouring Gas on the Fire

A few days ago I was talking with a friend who runs a large family foundation. They support a lot of causes but I was curious what motivated them to give to one organization over another. With all the good groups out there, and all the need in the world, how did they decide?

He used a phrase we’ve all heard often when he answered, “We love to pour gas on the fire when we see something is really working.”

Now this wasn’t an especially unique comment. I’ve heard it many times before. For that matter, I’ve said it many …

Family, Generosity, Philanthropy,

The Context of Dirt

To understand generosity is to understand thankfulness. I’ll explain with a story about dirt.

What we now call Silicon Valley was once vast fruit orchards. I remember growing up in San Jose and walking through cherry orchards on my way to school, and I’m not even old enough for social security. Imagine what the old timers could tell us!

When I was four we moved to a home with a small area in the backyard meant for a garden, but at various times it was my play area. One time I wanted to dig a foxhole, probably something I had …