I'm going to change things up a bit today and pick a few topics, along with some questions to think about.
According to the book:
1. Americans donate to philanthropic causes more when they're in periods of high social capital, not when they have the most money. In other words, when we're social, we give; when we're not social, we give less. The economy doesn't matter one way or another.
Can you think of any reasons why that would be the case or are you skeptical that that is the case at all?
2. Americans are doing more one-on-one volunteering and less volunteering on projects with groups of volunteers.
Is this the case with you? Why do you choose the type (one-on-one versus group) of volunteering that you do and has this changed for you over the years?
*** By the way, apparently Americans are volunteering a ton but it's mostly due to an increase in volunteering in the 60 and over age group.
3. People live longer in trusting communities.
Have you ever heard that before? Does it surprise you? Why do you think it's true (or not)?
4. The author distinguishes between "thin trust" and "thick trust". Thick trust is the trust we have with those closest to us (we know we can trust them). Thin trust is trusting someone we barely know (giving someone the benefit of the doubt). The author contends that thin trust is better because we know we can count on thick trust whereas thin trust expands our boundaries of people we feel we can rely on.
So, let's take that exercise class that has been mentioned in a comment on this blog, do you (hypothetically or actually) trust that person on the other side of the exercise room that you barely exchange a smile with before exercise class?
Or, how about trusting someone that responded to your craigslist posting for a piece of furniture that they'll get the money to you. Would you trust them?
This blog contains information and my personal reflections about the book, Bowling Alone, by Robert Putnam. It is being created for a Colorado State University graduate school class, EDAE 692.
I have heard before that more donations come from middle class families than weathly ones, but I had not considered the link with social capital. It is amazing to realize that our interaction with other humans causes us to have more empathy (or something) that propels us to want to become involved in making a better world for humanity.
ReplyDeleteThe increased giving during economic downturns does make some sense to me. You feel other's pain more in those times. For example, I had not thought about donating to our local food bank until things really became tough for a lot of our community.
There are still great groups of people who volunteer to take on projects, so it saddens me to learn that this is becoming less and less the case. It is hard to manage volunteers, this is always a topic at various nonprofit conferences. That could be part of the story- bad experiences that kill someone's motivation to volunteer again. Honestly, I just don't know what it is going to take to engage the younger generation in philanthropy in any form. My organization and many others suffer from a greying membership.
I'm wondering if question #1 regarding the fact that people donate more during periods of high social capital has something to do with "keeping up with the Jones'" in that if you have a lot of social capital, maybe you want your friends to see how generous you are?
ReplyDeleteGreat questions, Emily. I'd like to look at #1. In looking at my own experience a few years ago, I was working a very busy schedule, non-stop. I literally had very little time for my friends and any social interaction. This went on for four years. I know that if I look back over my records of donations I would find that I definitely gave less during that time, despite the fact that I was making more money than I ever had before. I would like to blame it on a lack of time, being too busy, etc. But if forced to really look at it, I'm sure it's because I felt no sense of obligation; there was no impetus to give, no connections to the needy. Interesting thing to ponder. . .
ReplyDeleteAnd Nancy, I agree with your thoughts about "keeping up with the Joneses". So true.
I'm not sure why people are doing more one-on-one volunteering , but I can at least share my own examples. When I was younger I think I did more volunteering with a group. Probably because everything was set up for me, I simply had to show up and do what I was told. And, I probably wasn't as opinionated about how things should be done :o). Now that I am older and seem to have less time available I think I want to volunteeer my time in ways I feel are most valuable. I think personnaly I get more out of a one-on-one experience and it allows me to have more control over the time I spend and what exactly I do. In addition I think it lends itself to more opportunity to produce relationships with others.
ReplyDeleteKelly, I wonder if volunteering when younger is meeting a social need? If Kathy was going to be at a place to volunteer, and she was my friend and I wanted to hang out with her, I might also volunteer at the same place. Her other friends (she was a popular person!) might also show up and bring their friends.
ReplyDeleteShe now lives in GA, I live in CO, so there's no way that I would end up volunteering at the same place without a huge commitment on one of our parts!
Melissa, I think that's a good point that when we all feel each others' pain (like in a bad economy), we may be more inclined to help others. I also want to mention a practical reason why social capital seems to be connected to donating trends. The book mentioned that often times people donate simply because they are asked to and when people are spending a lot of time being social with each other, more people ask others to donate. I thought that was an interesting thought. Great point about volunteers begin hard to manage. Some organizations may find it easier to just not get into the whole local volunteer realm of things.
ReplyDeleteNancy, that's an interesting thought about people donating when they spend a lot of time socializing and interacting with other people so they can be sure they look generous. If someone is a hermit, they really wouldn't feel much pressure to keep up a generous imagine around others. The book didn't mention that. I think it's an interesting point.
Connie, interesting that you would back up Nancy's idea. Maybe it's a bit of "out of sight, out of mind." If we're not involved in the community in a social way, we forget about being part of its betterment.
Kelly, I could say the same thing about me with volunteering. Once I got out of college (or maybe I should even go back to high school days), I did more things, including volunteering, in groups. A lot of it was about hanging out, like LazyShamrock suggested. But, now I want to do specific volunteer works that interests me and fills a need. I don't try to coordinate that with group work. I do need that control you mention by sticking to one-on-one volunteering.