MARCH 16, 2009

When You’re Down - Help Out!

We are all suffering from “bad news” fatigue as a result of this calamitous economy.  From the first click of my TV in the morning to my NPR drive-time analysis on the car ride home at night, I am inundated with solemn prognostications about how much we are all due to lose financially, and how the recession is likely to last until the end of the year.

Despite our efforts to try and keep our spirits up during this dismal time, the barrage of negativity is hard to ignore.  So it was refreshing to read E.J. Dionne’s Washington Post column today on the broad bipartisan support in Congress for legislation that will increase the number of federally funded volunteer service slots.   It cheered me to know that not only could we bring the bickering political parties together, but the government could also set an example of where to aim our focus in an uncertain economy.

More and more people are in need, and the charities that support them are themselves seeing shortfalls.  At the worst of times, giving of ourselves can be our own redemption.  As Peter Singer points out in his book, The Life You Can Save:  Acting Now to End World Poverty, “There is now abundant evidence supporting what philosophers and teachers have told us since ancient times: the good person is also—typically—a happy person. A survey of 30,000 American households found that those who gave to charity were 43 percent more likely to say they were ‘very happy’ about their lives than those who did not give.”  When you can’t give your money, give your time.

The bad times seem to be bringing out the best in many who have been laid off.  According to The New York Times, there are so many people with free time and a rush of enthusiasm from President Obama’s volunteer call to action that some smaller non-profits can not absorb the influx.   At the same time, workers recently furloughed from a General Motors plant in Wentzville, Missouri were actively recruited for service projects to help their community.  According to Change.org’s blog, volunteering can even help to fill a gap in job history and supplies the answer to an interviewer’s question, ‘what have you been doing?’

Ironically, it is much harder for a company going through hard times to decide how it can help its community - especially if it is laying off workers.  Should the company still continue to work to preserve its charitable support for its community?  It can be a difficult choice, but businesses should still demonstrate compassion and caring even as they struggle to return to profitability.  In fact, how companies reach out during this critical time will be a test of their character.  Those who are compassionate and authentic in their concern for helping others will come out as the leaders, perhaps even creating a lasting legacy for how the organization is perceived once this economic crisis is over.