Why Don't We Give

Many years ago, I served as the chairman of the stewardship (group tasked with asking for money) committee at my church. Shortly after I took the position, I was given a list of our members and what they donated annually.   I noticed that there were numerous families who donated very little and yet lived in huge homes, drove expensive cars and went on extravagant vacations.     I then looked at my own giving and realized I wasn’t significantly more generous than many of these individuals. I wondered if this was the norm throughout the country or if our church was simply less charitable than everyone else.   After a little research, I realized that the majority of people in the U.S. give a very small percentage (around 2%) of their annual income to non-profit organizations. In addition, only 25% of Americans volunteer their time.   In today’s podcast, I look at the giving habits of most Americans and discuss why we struggle to share our resources with those who are less fortunate. In addition, I’ll explore how this behavior is affecting our happiness and satisfaction in life.