#thxguys

Although people are more strapped for cash than ever, charitable giving hasn’t abated. In fact, people who have less are more compassionate and altruistic than their thick-walleted peers. Nowhere is this more apparent than the rise of crowdfunding – where a heart-rending facebook post and a series of dollar donations can generate thousands in a matter of hours. Social media is changing the nature of giving – allowing individuals to connect directly with the people and causes they care about, whether it’s helping someone pay for a new kidney or record a new album.

“In 2011, the wealthiest Americans—those with earnings in the top 20 percent—contributed on average 1.3 percent of their income to charity. By comparison, Americans at the base of the income pyramid—those in the bottom 20 percent—donated 3.2 percent of their income” (The Atlantic).

“…The researchers gave participants the opportunity to share $10 with an anonymous stranger. A few days earlier, the participants had all filled out a questionnaire in which they reported their socioeconomic status. The results showed that people who had placed themselves lower on the social scale were actually more generous than upper class participants were” (Greater Good).

“A student captured the encounter on his cellphone and posted it on his Facebook page. On Tuesday, it was posted on YouTube, titled “Making the Bus Monitor Cry,” where it has surpassed 4.7 million views. The video prompted outrage around the Internet, with users on Reddit urging people to send Ms. Klein messages of support, and to call and e-mail complaints to the school. After viewing the video, Max Sidorov, of Toronto, responded by raising money online for a vacation for Ms. Klein. He originally set a goal of $5,000, but has exceeded that total more than a hundredfold” (New York Times).

IMPLICATION
Help people tell good stories to sympathetic ears, and they’ll love you more than money.

image via Flickr/Chris Radcliff