From USA TODAY:
….Though we don’t often see this philanthropy flowing through our nation in the news media, 89% of U.S. households donate. America is the most generous nation on the planet, making up nearly half of the world’s total giving. The average American is 14 times more generous than the average European, because Americans see philanthropy as their individual responsibility, not as a governmental activity, as most Europeans do. The middle class and working poor give proportionally more of their income than the rich (4.2% vs. 2.7%), I suspect because they’re closer to the struggles of their neighbors. Religious people tend to give more readily than secularists (91% vs. 66%), because their churches, temples and mosques are more in touch with local community needs — and because the great lesson of all religions is philanthropy, the moral obligation to look after one’s fellow human beings….
“We’re all born with a purpose,” says Michael Guillen, president of the non-profit Philanthropy Project. “And life is about finding it — not by indulging ourselves — but by losing ourselves in service to a great cause.” He observes that even when they are down-and-out, philanthropic people turn outward and help those worse off than themselves. “It’s the give-and-glow effect,” Guillen says, “whereby in doing good, you end up receiving so much more than you give.”…
“Philanthropists don’t just write checks; they get really involved in solving pressing human needs,” says Guillen…
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