Filling the Boot
24/05/13 05:35
Yesterday our local firefighters were out on the streets in the area of town that I drive through with their annual “Fill the Boot for MDA” campaign. The process is pretty simple. They park their trucks in a well-known parking lot and stand at the edge of the street and accept donations to the Muscular Dystrophy Association. I don’t know the history of the connection, but there has been a strong tie between firefighters and the MDA for many years. Part of what firefighters have to do is to wait. We want them to be ready when the call comes. They can respond as quickly from the parking lot as they could from the station, so being out on the street poses no risk to the community.
More importantly, it is a good thing when the firefighters get out with the public. They get opportunities to have some conversation and the general public gets to see these hard-working everyday heroes. I always make a point of thanking them for their project as I slip a donation into the boot. Yesterday I got a few dollar bills so that I could make multiple donations and talk to multiple firefighters.
But there is something that makes me sad about the project. I have a similar reaction to the Salvation Army bell ringers at Christmas time. Actually the Salvation Army is a bit different. There is no arguing that the Salvation Army uses the donated money to help people. The quick response of the Salvation Army to this week’s tornado in Oklahoma is a visible example of important work that needs to be done. And this work needs to be supported. But the church I serve has been at work in our city for 135 years. We have supported millions of dollars in direct services to the community in that period of time. And we have never resorted to asking others to support our work. We raise our money from our members. We have never resorted to asking our members to stand on street corners and in front of shops to beg for funds to support our mission and ministry. Quite frankly those red kettles give the impression that you can support important community relief charities with impulse giving – a few coins make you feel good and you can forget about it as soon as you and your custom crafted espresso beverage are settled in your warm car.
The truth is that too few people think about their giving enough to plan and to make major investments in the organizations that improve the lives of all people. Too many people judge charitable organizations by how frugal they are instead of what results they get. A chilly volunteer standing on a street corner isn’t getting paid to stand there and ring the bell, so the donor believes the gift will all go to the cause they support. It is true that the Salvation Army is pretty efficient with the monies donated, but donors don’t often think about those things. Nor do people asking for small donations ever get the opportunity to challenge givers to think about how they could plan to make a real difference in the world.
Our city’s firefighters are good people and they have a good spirit about raising money for a medical charity in which they believe. I didn’t see any frowning or dejected firefighters out there yesterday. They all smiled when I chatted with them. Still, it makes me a bit sad to think that we have to take our community servants and heroes – the people who already have responded to the call to serve others and make them stand on street corners and beg for money. There is enough wealth in this community to adequately fund medical research without having to ask our community servants to do the asking for us.
No don’t get me wrong. There is no shame in asking for donations. I do it every week just before we pass the plates in our church. And I certainly do not want people to hold back in their generosity when the boot is passed or the red kettle is set up. I’m just saying that if people would think more carefully about their giving and plan in such a manner that we direct funds to the things that matter the most.
Charitable giving remains essentially flat in the United States at around 2% of GDP. That is about one-fifth of the Biblical tithe. I’m not saying that we could magically make people more generous. I’m not saying that we could instantly alter the priorities of our country so that we would realign our giving. But if we were to increase giving by ½ of 1 percent, that would mean $75 billion a year in increased funding for organizations and causes that help to improve the quality of life for all people. Imagine what that would accomplish if we were to direct the funding to the organizations that get the best results.
What if we could say to Big Brothers/Big Sisters, “You’re really good at helping kids. This year, instead of having your employees and volunteers spend so much time raising funds, why don’t we give you enough money so you could put them to work helping kids?” What if we said to our firefighters, “We’ll raise the money for MDA, you get out there and mingle with the people so they get to know you as fellow citizens instead of people with the boot out asking for donations?”
Frankly, I don’t think that dream is going to happen any time soon. Too many people have the mistaken notion that they have to be rich before they give. Too few people see giving as an opportunity instead of a burden.
So here’s a place where we can start. Next time you see a neighbor asking for funds for a community charity give more than your money. Give them your thanks. Stop to talk about the things that are most important to you. In addition to the buck in the boot, shake then hand of the firefighter and thank him or her for caring about our community.
And, when you get home, do some thinking about your giving. What could be accomplished with an additional percent of your annual income? How would be the best way to invest those funds?