This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, others will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift! 2 Corinthians 9:12-15
“Research suggests that to maximize the happiness that comes from giving, people must feel that their giving has had or will have a positive impact on the recipient. In one study, giving more money to a charity led to more happiness, but only when participants were told that their donation would specifically buy a bed net for a child in Africa (and how that bed net would make a difference in that child’s life) and not when they were told their donation would simply support the charity’s general fund.
This suggests that highlighting the impact that a donation or gift has on its recipient may increase the emotional rewards associated with generosity, and could lead to increased giving.
Another study found that, across three different experiments, adding tangible details about a charity’s interventions increase donations—but only when these details increased “the impact that donors believed their contributions would make.” Perceived impact and efficacy has been identified as an important factor in other studies of charitable giving.
In short: knowing a donation is likely to make an impact makes people more likely to donate and to feel happier after doing so.”
Summer Allen in “The Science of Generosity” White Paper produced by the Greater Good Science Center.
As soon as I read this research finding my mind went to the words of the Apostle Paul in his second letter to the Corinthians. He reported triple impact. He told the Corinthians that their giving supplied the needs of the people. They had been starving and now they were fed.
But it did more than that. It resulted in praise and thanksgiving to God, because it had deepened the faith of the recipients. And it did more than that. It inspired those who had been blessed to offer prayers for the givers to celebrate the grace that God had given them. And it concluded praising God for His indescribable gift.
What’s the point for us today?
We should share the perceived impact and efficacy of giving on social and spiritual levels. We should do this with integrity and accuracy. But we must not stop there. We should share how the giving shapes the people, gives them hope, inspires them to give thanks, lift up prayers, and praise God. We should celebrate the spiritual as well as social impact.
Let’s each think how we can do this in our settings.
For me, today is the final day of our first GTP trip to Costa Rica. Before the team heads to Colombia, here’s how I would sum up the experience (reply to this email if you want a copy of the trip report as we wrap up our work in Costa Rica later today).
Giving, from people like you, sent us to serve them freely, and it worked. God worked through prayer, one onsite replicable training, two sermons, three meals with influencers, and four onsite teaching events in only five days to bring hope and help to Costa Rica. God raised up a coalition eager to follow a plan to rebuild what is broken down like Nehemiah in the next 52 days.
That’s not a typo, they want to act now to spread generosity and accountability! The trip cost $6,000. We served a total of about 600 people. So, that breaks down to about $10 a person. Look at the photo above. A gift of $10 gave that person what they needed to write a new future for their people. That’s impact.
And locals on the ground will keep the fires going after we leave. We rejoice in the LORD. Thanks for your giving. If you want to spread similar impact in Colombia, make a gift here. And pray for our safe travel to Bogotá later today.
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