Issue No. 166 of Your Weekly Staff Meeting highlights a remarkable hot-off-the-press new book to spark generosity in your own life. It’s also the perfect Christmas gift for donors and colleagues. And this reminder, check out my Management Buckets website with dozens of resources and downloadable worksheets for your staff meetings.
Bon Appetit!
The author of Being Generous shares a transparent axiom at the beginning of his 139-page panoramic and profound sweep of global generosity. He confesses, “I had to practice religious disciplines in order to become more generous. This is something I still must work at constantly, for ultimately the business of giving is unfinished business.”
The good news: this is a no-brainer gift book for every person who wants to be a God-honoring and generous giver. The bad news: just when you thought you understood generosity and believed yet-one-more-book is certainly not needed on the subject, Theodore Roosevelt Malloch serves up a sumptuous feast. In 139 pages, no less!
You may be tempted to sample the dessert first: 27 one-page profiles of generous givers from the Pew Family to the Maclellan Family. From George Cadbury to William Wilberforce. From Bach and Mendelssohn to J.C. Penney, John Walton and Eli Lilly. Then there’s Joan Kroc, Mother Teresa, Oprah Winfrey, Bill and Melinda Gates, Warren Buffett and C.S. Lewis. The profiles will enlighten and, often, surprise you.
Malloch writes, “The story is told that when a friend heard that Lewis had given money to a beggar in Oxford, the friend remarked that he shouldn’t have done so because the beggar would only spend the money on alcoholic drink. Lewis replied, ‘If I kept the money, I would only have spent it on drink!’”
But the profiles are just the dessert. The meat and potatoes (10 short chapters) offer remarkable and synergistic insights. Malloch delivers a smorgasbord of generosity research and commentary: historical, political (why socialism inhibits generosity), religious (all the major religions promote generosity), theological, physiological (our brains are hardwired to give), societal, scientific and cultural. You’re quickly convinced. You must embrace generosity as a virtue—and help others to do the same.
Being Generous is profound—yet very, very readable. It’s not yesterday’s leftovers—it’s new thinking pulled from the widest array of knowledge—served up with inspiring side dishes that motivate and are generously seasoned with wisdom.
Malloch suggests we give greater priority to a balanced diet of time, talent and treasure (not just treasure) when practicing the virtue of generosity. He proposes a “Generosity Index” that would chart two items along an axis:
• How you use your time (your date book)
• How you use your money (your check book)
“By calculating these two points along a graph,” he adds, “you could see where you are in terms of generosity. You could tell if you are living a generous life and if any axis is falling short. You could compare yourself with others and against yourself over time, year-to-year, decade-to-decade.” He’s on to something.
If you’re a pastor, or a CEO or development officer of a nonprofit, this is a no-brainer Christmas gift for yourself and for your Top-100 donors. If you’re just hungry to be a more generous person, bon appetit!
To order this book from Amazon, click on this title: Being Generous, by Theodore Roosevelt Malloch.
Your Weekly Staff Meeting Questions:
1) How much should we keep for ourselves—and how much should we give? C.S. Lewis said, “I am afraid the only safe rule is to give more than we can spare.” Do you agree?
2) The author describes an entrepreneur who started his company one year and then a company foundation by the second year. He said, “I believe you start giving when you have nothing. Then, when you become successful, it’s a habit from the heart.” What giving habits have you formed in your own life and in the lives of the children in your circle of influence?
Extravagance & Exuberance - Insights from Mastering the Management Buckets: 20 Critical Competencies for Leading Your Business or Nonprofit
One of the big ideas in the Donor Bucket, Chapter 11, in Mastering the Management Buckets, is that generosity should be marked by extravagance and exuberance.
In 1 Chronicles 29 (The Message), King David addressed the nation and announced he was giving his personal fortune of gold and silver for the temple project. He challenged the people: “And now, how about you? Who among you is ready and willing to join in the giving?” (v. 7).
The leaders and the people then gave extravagantly! According to verses 6 through 8, the fundraising campaign contributions totaled 188 tons of gold, 377 tons of silver, 679 tons of bronze and 3,775 tons of iron, plus precious jewels! (Note for the file: God is not short of money.) The Scriptures record the people’s response in verse 9: “And the people were full of a sense of celebration—all that giving! And all given willingly, freely! King David was exuberant.”
For more books, insights and resources, visit the Donor Bucket webpage at the Management Buckets website.
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