

by Carolyn A. Parker, AEU Ethical Action Team Leader and member of Ethical Society of Austin
Giving is one of what I call the Four Modes of Ethical Action. (The other three are Living, Serving, and Educating.) As a mode of ethical action, I think of giving as a year-long, all-season activity. Indeed, I wonder how there can be just one “season of giving” for Ethical Humanists?
Now, I know that we have just passed through a period in which we receive more than the usual number of pleas for donations, more than the usual pressure from advertisers to buy (more than we need), more than the usual cultural signs and symbols that tell us that the Winter Solstice period is the time of year that literally means giving. The thing is, we have four seasons on this planet, thanks to the axial tilt, and the need for giving (as opposed to the impetus for giving) is present in all four of them.
Please be assured that I am not trying to start a War on the Season of Giving. The winter holidays and festivities are fun, build community, give us a break from the mundane. I am not even hinting that we should change our responses to end-of-year fundraising. Non-profit organizations and commercial enterprises alike depend on the added income from that “season” of giving and buying-to-give to keep themselves running for the rest of the year. I did give as generously as I could when the American Ethical Union’s annual campaign letter arrived. I even gave in to the appeal of Elsa and her sister, Anna, for the four-year-old princess in my family (environmentally appropriate gift-wrapping).
What I am suggesting, however, is that, for 2020, we look at our ethical action programs that involve giving as the mode of action and assess the “season” when the need for our gifts is greater.
Consider working with our partner organizations to determine when their needs are highest and think about aiming our giving at those times of greater need. Even a small gift will have a big impact when it comes at a time of high need.
Axial tilt is constant and unceasing (for the next 2 billion years or so). For now, seasons continue to come and go, but the need for our gifts often remains throughout the year. So I am also suggesting that we consider ways to make our giving similarly constant. Consider re-evaluating your giving program(s) to make them more sustaining.
Giving is an important form of ethical action. We have cultural and economic pressures to consider the end of the year as a “season of giving,” but the need for our gifts—whether they are money or time or goods—is year around. In planning for 2020, try to consider all four seasons and look for even small changes that can make your (and your Society’s) giving more sustaining for those we are trying to help. Try to find ways to increase the impact of your giving regardless of the amount you give.
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