Restoring the Joy of Generosity (el. knyga) (skaityta knyga) | knygos.lt

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Why have millions of everyday Americans stopped giving to charity?

Is it because economic pressure, political division, and the fraying of community life have left us more isolated, more distrustful, and less caring? Or is something else going on?

In Restoring the Joy of Generosity, Derric Bakker argues that Americans haven't stopped being generous. The problem, he contends, is that as the systems around charitable giving have become more sophisticated, efficient, and transactional, they have too often separated people from the joy of their own generosity.

Generosity makes our lives richer and our communities stronger. It produces meaning, connection, fulfillment, and joy, and that joy is a big part of what makes us want to give. Drawing on research, real-world stories, and three decades of observing generosity firsthand, Bakker explores why giving feels good and what it would take to invite millions of Americans back into giving.

In this book, you'll discover:

• Why fewer Americans giving to charity doesn't mean fewer Americans care
• Where their generosity has gone instead
• The seven sources of joy in giving: devotion, identity, doing good, meaning, gratitude, belonging, and recognition
• What research reveals about why generosity feels good, even when it costs us something
• Why so many donors drift away, and what organizations can do to earn their trust and participation again
• Practical steps for donors, fundraisers, nonprofit leaders, and board members to bring the joy back
• How one person's generosity can spark generosity in others

The stakes are bigger than charitable giving. Generosity is woven into the American experiment. Since before our founding, ordinary people have taken responsibility for one another and for the common good. As fewer Americans take part in giving, we risk losing something fundamentally important, not only to the institutions generosity sustains, but to our communities and the character of our country.

Written for engaged citizens, donors, volunteers, board members, nonprofit leaders, fundraisers, and anyone who cares about the future of generosity in America, Restoring the Joy of Generosity is ultimately about something deeply human: what generosity gives back to the giver.

Restore the joy, and giving will flourish.