Faith. Hope. And Charity

In a position where my organization — the Montana State University-Northern Foundation — relies on the generosity of others, I have been wondering, is generosity an innate characteristic or is it learned? Is it part of our DNA to be a giving person or is it something we are taught?

I recently googled these questions and discovered that many studies conclude that while it’s innate for humans to be reciprocal, it’s not in our DNA to be givers. Many of us are taught by our family, friends, or someone in a stewardship role, like a pastor or teacher, what it means to be charitable. Compassion, however, is a natural and automatic response that comes from our core, but to act on that compassion in a giving manner is not.

And here we are, in the biggest giving season of the year. About a month ago, I sent a text to my nieces and nephews informing them that in reflection on all that happened in this past year, I would be changing their holiday gift. Instead of asking them what they wanted for Christmas, I asked them who they would like to help. As part of their Christmas present in 2020 I am donating to a charity of their choice. With ages ranging from 12-18, I expected a resistant reaction. I expected them to be upset that I wasn’t just giving them more gifts. But every one of them has given me a name of an organization that they would like to have a contribution made in their honor. Each one of them has chosen a charity for which they have compassion and want to help.

A study showed that simply talking with children about giving raises the probability of their giving by nearly 20 percent. Christmas is just days away and, as we are accustomed, a large part of this time of year is about giving. But are we giving where it will help?

At Northern, 80 percent of our students rely on financial aid. If we didn’t have compassionate people in our communities who were inspired to be philanthropic, many of our students wouldn’t be here. Many of our students come from economic backgrounds where funds for higher education are nonexistent. And so many of our students need the generosity of others.

Growing up, my family would sing in the car. It was a time well before cellphones or videos when driving some stretches of Montana, we intermittently got AM or FM radio. If we were in a pocket with no radio, my dad would start singing and we would just chime in on anything from “I’m a Yankee Doodle Dandy” to college or high school fight songs to songs from musicals. My mom would sometimes sing “Have faith, hope, and charity. That’s the way to live successfully. How do I know? The Bible tells me so.”

Thinking about this past year and the struggles we all faced, this song comes to mind. In 2020, I’m guessing many of us survived on faith. We all know that every storm passes and many of us rely on our faith to be the bedrock of our lives. Faith is about trust and confidence and this year we all had to keep marching forward with blind faith that we were doing the right thing for our neighbors and ourselves.

Hope is another thing that has been pivotal in the ups and downs of this year. Without hope, we would be in despair. Sometimes hope is all we need to keep our wheels turning even when we want to stop. The future always has opportunity and hopefulness.

And then there is charity. Studies show that giving can boost your physical and mental health. And we all could use that this year. As we consider what we are teaching our youth or our neighbors, and as you consider who needs your “gifts” this holiday, remember that charity is one of those things that can bring you more fulfillment than getting another package under the tree. One of the most wonderful holiday cards each year is one from my friend, Katie, and it doesn’t have a family picture or gift card — it says “A donation has been made in your honor.”

Giving inspires that innate reaction to reciprocate. An example of some of my favorite messages from alumni or community members is “I remember getting help when I was in school, and I want to do the same for someone else.”

Practice charity, teach it to others, and the world will be better for it. This holiday season, I’m asking you to consider helping our students at MSU-Northern. We have faith and hope that you will.

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Shantel Cronk is executive director of the Montana State University-Northern Foundation