by Melissa Spas, Managing Director of Education and Engagement
Philanthropy is marked by the desire to express tangibly the love we have for others. In the purest sense, this broad understanding means that all who care for other people are engaged in philanthropic activity. Yet, there remain very real obstacles to effective, substantive philanthropy. Achieving philanthropic impact requires that we look squarely at the harm suffered by our fellow human beings, in order that we might intervene through our actions, our gifts, or our strategies.
The prophet Isaiah, read through the season of Advent preparation in the Christian tradition, speaks of this responsibility in fiery terms. Isaiah says that God “…has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners; to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to provide for those who mourn in Zion – to give them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit (61:1-3)."
Religious teaching and spiritual practice inform and shape philanthropic ideals and aims. The attention given to charity, healing, and economic right relationship in the teachings of all the world’s religions cannot be undersold. Buddhism lifts up the practice of compassion, Hinduism contrasts right practice in life (dharma) with all that is unnatural, immoral, or unjust (adharma), and the Abrahamic traditions point toward justice as a hallmark of relationships between God and people.
In our American culture, the “holiday season,” from Thanksgiving to New Year's, is marked by consumption, celebration, and excess (particularly when it comes to Christmas, and the practice of gift giving), with charity as a secondary activity, underlining the abundance that we wish to share. Taking seriously the religious meaning of this season perhaps gives us the opportunity to pause, as we consider the connections between celebration and our philanthropic love for others. How can we move toward philanthropic action that responds to the religious imperative of charity and right relationship?
The end of the year is marked by a flurry of philanthropic activity, from fundraising campaigns to charitable expressions of care for the poor. Giving in the US is at an all-time high when measured in dollars – in 2016, over $390 billion dollars were contributed to US charities. A healthy economy means growth in giving, and also, a reduction in poverty. In 2016, the poverty rate in the US returned to pre-recession levels, with 12.7% of Americans living at or below the poverty rate. The federal poverty level for a household of four in 2016 was $24,250. In the 50 years since Martin Luther King, Jr. launched the Poor People’s Campaign, the percentage of Americans living in poverty has declined, using that measure, and the demographics have shifted. Fewer elderly Americans are poor, while the number of working-aged people in poverty has grown. Children remain disproportionally poor; changes in racial composition in the US are visible along regional and racial lines. While poverty has declined dramatically among African Americans, the rate of poverty among that group remains nearly twice as a high as among white Americans, and today we have a higher percentage of poor Hispanic Americans than in the past. The current revival of the Poor People’s Campaign, in a time of political division, points toward the persistent desire to do better, to strive toward greater justice, reduced poverty, and more effective expressions of philanthropic intent. Religious leaders across traditions are seeking to lift up the problem of poverty as a moral center for alignment, even when agreement on other issues is very hard to come by.
So what does it mean to you, as this year draws to a close, to consider philanthropy in light of the persistence of poverty? In faithful response to the teachings of our religious traditions, we find that philanthropy becomes a radical practice of faith, and opens space for the blessing of others, alleviating suffering, and replacing mourning and anguish with celebration and care. How will love for others move us into a deeper religious practice, through charity and toward justice?