The hard fact is that nonprofits need money to fight the good fight. They also need volunteers and various types of political action.
Those are the Big Three, but in the book “American Generosity” Patricia Snell Herzog and Heather E. Price offer a snapshot of the “Little 6” of giving by Americans.
* Donating blood. Giving blood refers to the unpaid donation of blood among those who are physically able to donate.
* Donating organs. Like donating blood, this relies on truly giving of oneself.
* Estate giving. This refers to provisions in a will or trust to donate wealth or property to charitable causes.
* Possession lending. There are two standards here — whether a valuable personal possession was loaned to a friend or acquaintance who needed it or might benefit from it (lending), and whether the lender expected the item to be returned (lending to give).
* Environmental sustainability giving. Sustainable consumption is a form of giving that contributes to the collective good in a different way, often through spending, as in the consumption of environmentally friendly organic or fair-trade products, even if the goods cost more.
* Relational giving. This refers to the frequency with which people: a. visit relatives in person or have them visit; b. have friends over to their home; c. take care of other people’s children; and d. watch the house of property of friends who are away, e. help a friend or neighbor with a job at their house.
