Nonprofits say they are receiving an increasing number of "stretch" gifts, donations seemingly out of proportion to the givers' resources. To the shock or chagrin of friends and family, these gifts often require donors to make sacrifices or at least live more modestly than their income would allow.Three examples: Nabuko Kajitani, the retired art museum worker who donated $1 million to the NYC Asian Cultural Council; Joyce Hergenhan, the retired GE manager who “has made gifts and pledges of $8 million to various charities”; Neurosurgeon James Doty, who will give “99% of his net worth”--$28 million-- to an HIV/AIDS program named for his brother, who died of AIDS.
The article searches for explanations behind these donors’ actions, such as changes in tax laws, a desire to add meaning to their lives, and childhood influences (“Stretch donors often are influenced by the giving and spending patterns they witnessed when younger”).
I prefer not trying to be so rational---that we simply acknowledge the noble, selfless acts of a few human beings who simply behave “better” than the rest of us. Falling far short, I can but aspire to follow their example, as well as that of the unnamed woman who has inspired more acts of charity than all the kings of history:
Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything - all she had to live on." (Mark 12:41-44)
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