I received a letter from a long-time friend this week that has me thinking about how we respond to changes in fortune — especially in our ability to give. “Over the past couple of years, my interest in, and enthusiasm for, our foundation’s giving has been waning. I have been just going through the motions — and sometimes not even that. This has occurred during the time when the size of our foundation’s giving potential has decreased considerably. As you know, I spend a good deal of time each morning in prayer through journaling. Several weeks ago, I began to really focus during that time on what the Lord had…

In 2009, the John Templeton Foundation gave Notre Dame University a $5-million grant to lead research into the relationship between the brain and generosity. The initiative is called the “Science of Generosity,” and under the direction of Christian Smith, discoveries in neuroscience are making it clear that our brains are indeed designed to be generous. I admit I was skeptical when I first heard about it, but reading some of the results of their work has been encouraging. Of course, the ever-present danger is falling into the “nothing but” trap and concluding that generosity, compassion, empathy, altruism and giving are nothing but electrical impulses and chemical reactions. Research from the…

It’s a familiar scene made even more so by movies and novels: the reading of the last will and testament. The somber family is seated quietly around the table in the law office. The attorney reaches down into his briefcase and pulls out the file. He puts on his glasses, clears his throat and starts slowly reading the wishes of the deceased. Of course, in the back of every mind is the obvious question, “How much did he leave me?” It’s not unnatural or even greedy. It’s pretty normal behavior. Everyone has some vague notion or hope, and then the attorney says, “Your father left a sprinkling trust” and closes…

If I were to pick one word to describe my mail from nonprofits in December, it would be URGENT! Every email was intent on reminding me how little time I had left to take advantage of either matching grants, the looming end-of-the-year tax deadlines or a special opportunity that would close by December 31. I don’t blame the organizations for this. It’s hard to get our attention from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day, so something has to break through the clutter. As well, end-of-the-year giving has grown so much in importance that a nonprofit would be foolish not to do everything they can to nudge donors that they only have…