Weekend Handout November 7/8

Practicing Generosity – Being Rich
Let’s get the obvious out of
the way first off … Being
generous does not come
naturally. It isn’t easy to give
things away. And the more we
have, the more difficult it is to
give anything away.
Giving is hard in Canada.
According to a study done by
the Fraser Institute in 2019,
Canadians gave an average of
0.54% of their income as an
aggregate to charitable causes,
while Americans gave 1.52%.
And if you want to get into
comparisons, Australians put us
all to shame, coming in at just
over the 3% mark.
The point is not to debate which nation is the most generous. Those 3 nations
would all be among the most wealthy on earth – in the scale of incomes and
net worth, all 3 would find themselves in the top 3% of the whole planet.
That means 97% of all the rest of income-earners and owners of assets in
the known economy of the earth have less. And yet the amount they give to
people groups or causes that have need of resources is a pittance of all they
have. It seems the richer a person or people group becomes, the less they
find it a priority to give to those less fortunate than themselves.
Just to belabour this point a little further, giving by individuals has been
decreasing in Canada from 1990 (being the high) to today. According to
Statistics Canada, giving has been increasing by gift amount among Baby
Boomers, but decreasing by overall number of givers. Giving by Gen X,
Gen Y, and Millennials has been decreasing by gift amount as well as those
who regularly give to charities of any sort in that same time frame.
So what? Giving is down, and dropping consistently … Why is that a concern? …
As members of FAC’s Financial Freedom Ministry team, Dale Dyck and Rick
Robson are committed to sharing principles, practical steps, and individual
assistance toward a healthy approach to our finances. Read more in this week’s
blog post! Living [Within] Your Means meets Mondays, November 9-30, 7:00 pm
online. Learn more and register here!