Not Just a Season: How Giving Transforms Us
"It is more blessed to give than to receive."
It’s the holiday season, which means that people are scrambling for gifts and wrapping presents for loved ones in preparation for “Santa’s” arrival. It’s the season of Giving, and yet it’s all too easy to lose sight of that with all the sales and ads popping up. A giving spirit can quickly become rampant consumerism when you’re not being intentional about your habits.
And, while your shopping may (or may not) be done, don’t let your GIVING stop after presents are unwrapped on the 25th. As a matter of fact, we believe that one cannot experience true prosperity without the power of giving!
Read on to see how giving transforms us AND increases one’s prosperity? Let us count the ways!
Three Ways the Power of Giving Transforms Us
There are very practical reasons to give, such as the immense needs in the world, the worthy causes that help meet those needs, and end-of-year tax deductions. Yet giving is its own “gift” as well – not just for the receiver, but for the GIVER.
1. Giving Changes How We Think About Money
Giving breaks the “greed monster” within. Whenever we might be tempted to think that the game of life is all about how much money we have, the act of giving breaks those patterns and switches our focus. It helps us “put our money where our mouth is” and value money not for what it can buy, but for how it can be used to express our values and bring about change in the world.
And we don’t have to be multi-millionaire philanthropists to make a difference. Indeed, many charities rely on small gifts from many faithful givers. Think of organizations local to you. How many small, not-for-profit businesses could benefit from small monthly contributions from community members? If you value it, show it!
It’s not just local establishments that can benefit either. One of our favorite organizations, Heifer International, allows donors to give amounts as small as $10 for a “share” of a sheep. Gifts can be made on behalf of others, and the money is often specified for the gift of an animal such as a cow, sheep, chicken, or goat that can help a family or even a village become self-reliant. I saved my way to college by selling milk from my dairy cows as a kid, so I love that I can help others d othe same and more all across the world.
Money given for real-world gifts on Heifer.org helps people around the world lift themselves out of poverty through sustainable farming, small businesses, education, and more. Below is a video of one such success story, where the gift of a goat has allowed a community of women to build a business that helps them thrive together AND build up their savings.
2. Giving Changes How We Think About Ourselves
Rather than seeing ourselves through the lens of earner, saver, investor, or consumer, giving causes us to take on the identity of contributor. We become active participants in the missions to which we contribute. Through giving our time, our talents, or our dollars, we stop watching helplessly from the sidelines and start participating in eradicating hunger, re-building homes, or rescuing abused animals. We can support and champion the causes which are most important to us.
Giving transforms us from victims and bystanders into co-creators who are actively making a difference in the world. Giving switches our focus from ourselves to others, increases empathy, fulfillment, and even teaches discipline.
In Millionaire Women Next Door, author Thomas J. Stanley presents surprising research that reveals that women who gave a generous ten percent of their annual income actually ended up building more wealth than their counterparts who gave only one percent! Stanley also found that these generous givers experienced not only unpredictably higher levels of net worth, but also increased levels of happiness, joy, and respect as well. Instead of being a financial burden, a habit of generous giving actually seemed to produce “dividends” of many kinds!
3. Giving Changes How We Experience the World
Giving helps us discover and connect to our purpose in the world. It connects us to others who share those purposes, and empowers us to make a difference together. Now the causes that we give to become our own, and we take literal ownership of the difference our gifts make.
Lynne Twist, philanthropist and author, had a profound life change after learning the value of giving. Lynne and her husband Bill built a “comfortable” life, but when they started giving, a whole new world opened up for them. Their lives took on much deeper meanings than bettering their tennis games at the Country Club as giving connected them with their core values, friends, and loved ones, as well as helping them rediscover purpose.
Lynne’s experience with giving eventually led her to become a fundraiser for The Hunger Project, as well as co-founder of the Pachamama Alliance (along with her husband), and other organizations. By helping others transform their relationship with money, she has expanded the impact of their own giving exponentially.
Lynne shares the profound wisdom learned in working with both the poorest of the poor and the wealthiest of philanthropists in her book, The Soul of Money. It’s recommended reading for anyone who wishes to give more, or anyone who wishes to transform their relationship with money and think beyond the paradigm of scarcity.
As Lynne explains so beautifully in the video below, “What you appreciate, appreciates.”
Born to Give!
It’s true, the world will always have people and causes “in need.” This doesn’t stop at Christmas-time. Yet, if we think giving is only about the need, only about “the worthy cause,” we have missed the power of giving: the value that giving imparts to the GIVER.
We were created to give. We thrive when we give. Giving is not just about the “worthy cause,” giving transforms us. It is a gift to ourselves as much as it’s a gift to our communities.
When we fail to give, we keep ourselves stuck in a scarcity mindset. Giving allows us to experience true Prosperity because it blows up the personal belief of “lack” and replaces it with an experience of abundance. We reflect on this in our upcoming book Busting the Scarcity Mindset, and you can read a sneak peek of Chapter 1 here.
Giving Your Way to Prosperity
As the year draws to an end and the new one begins, it’s a great time to ask ourselves if our giving practices reflect our values, our commitments, and the world we wish to live in. Consider these questions:
Where do you give? What charities, organizations, or churches would you like to start giving to (or give more to) in 2025? How are you supporting the things you value in your own community, as well as globally? What non-profits feed you spiritually or fund the causes you care about the most?
How much do you give? Does your giving reflect your commitments? Are there ways that you can re-align your spending and giving with your values? What are your giving goals for 2025?
Are you keeping track and maximizing your deductions? Gifts of money, as well as goods (and sometimes even pro bono work, consult your accountant), can be tax-deductible in many situations. Make sure you have a system in place for keeping track of your giving.
We wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year filled with Love, Joy, and Peace. May you receive an abundance of good, and may you also come to know the Power of Giving.
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