What Your Generosity Style Says About You

Your motto: At Your Service. Your theme song: We Are the World. You are a person who can’t imagine not serving and helping others. When you see an issue or an opportunity, you jump in and volunteer, you donate money and maybe even start your own nonprofit. Giving yields extraordinary meaning in your life. You see helping others and being a force for positive change as your calling – it’s just what you do. You enjoy being of service and that warm glow you feel inspires you to do more. One way to expand your reach is to spread the word to family and friends. Maybe it will inspire them to join in; volunteering is contagious and so is donating money. Use social media to get the word out and people in your life may be stirred to volunteer and contribute to causes they care about.

Your motto: Charity begins at home. Your theme song is: Count on Me. Your giving is focused on those closest to you. This may be family or friends. You share of your time and resources most with your inner circle. Donations and volunteering outside of your family typically is to organizations in your immediate community where you can see the benefits first hand. If you volunteer, it is most often for your kids’ schools, your house of worship, or for organizations in your home town. Keep up the good work; seeing your donation or time make a difference in your community is rewarding to you and your neighbors. Volunteering can also be a way to connect with family and be a generosity role model. Take a daughter, son, sister or brother with you next time you deliver meals or donate clothing.

You motto: Help where you can. Your theme song: You Get What You Give. You love to help others when you can. When you are asked to volunteer or donate, you do your best to say yes. You don’t have a specific plan around your financial giving, but you have charities that are meaningful to you that you support. If asked, you usually donate to your friends’ special causes. You like to volunteer – it feels so good! You realize that volunteering on a regular basis not only helps the organization, but you as well. You know the dirty little secret about giving – it feels great! You would like to do more volunteering in the future. Although you don’t have a specific donation plan or allocation in your budget, you realize that putting aside money to be used specifically for charitable donations might be a good idea. Sometimes you feel like it’s a bit of a burden or obligation to donate to others, but you still step up and give. Going forward, if you are short of time to make a commitment to volunteer, look for an opportunity to use your skills to provide something needed where you can work from home in your spare time. Offer bookkeeping skills to a non-profit, design a brochure, or knit a blanket. You may also consider setting up a “giving account” where you allocate a percentage of your income to be given to causes that are important to you.

Your motto: The way you do anything is the way you do everything. Your theme song: Kind and Generous. You are discerning, deliberate, and selective when it comes to donating financial resources. It is of top concern that the recipient is putting the funds to good use so you can feel good about your time and money going there. You have chosen causes you believe in and feel comfortable donating to and funnel your giving here, as opposed to supporting organizations that might not be using the donations wisely or in ways you find inappropriate. Wasteful philanthropy drives you crazy. Your personal goals may take priority over donations to charity. You will politely decline donation requests from friends if the organization doesn’t fit your giving criteria or your budget. If you don’t already have a plan or budget around where you give your resources you might consider doing so. Create a list of your skills and strengths, concerns and interests to help find new places to contribute your time. Because of your attention to details and stewardship you’d make an excellent board member for non-profits.