SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY….Whose Responsibility Is It?

Sometimes we are overwhelmed by the depth and breadth of need in our community, our nation and our world. Where do we start to "fix" the many social problems, the many ills that seem to have no solution? Child abuse, the crumbling family unit, the increasing lack of medical care for the poor, the continually rising cost of education…whose responsibility is it to find a solution?

As the federal government has continued to decrease funding for "social" needs, the responsibility has fallen to churches, charities, and nonprofit organizations to try to find ways to fill the breach…often with very limited resources. In San Antonio, we are blessed to have many generous corporations giving millions each year to charity, feeling it is part of their responsibility to do so. Additionally, there are numerous charitable foundations and trusts in San Antonio providing grant monies to help. But in truth, it is individuals who provide the vast majority of funds going to help those in need…over 75% in fact.

If you compare charitable giving statistics all over the world, Americans are by far the most generous people in the world. No other country comes close to the generosity of Americans when it comes to helping those less fortunate. But let's not forget that those donations coming from corporations or foundations ultimately are controlled by individuals. Without the impetus of individual leaders within the corporate world, who feel for a variety of reasons that it is the right thing to do, business would not be inclined to be charitable…where is the profit motive in giving money to charity? And without the benevolent will of an individual donor or family of donors, millions of dollars of philanthropy provided by charitable foundations and trusts would not exist.

What is the motivation for this individual need to give? Perhaps it is that we all realize that "there, but for the grace of God, go I"; or that we realize that, for no particular reason, we have been more fortunate than others; or that we believe that our religion encourages such generosity; or that we just think "it's the right thing to do." Those who cannot help financially often give many hours of their time volunteering. Having worked in the world of philanthropy for more than a decade, I truly believe the reason is certainly more than the tax benefits or the public recognition we might receive.

I have been told numerous times by donors that it makes them feel good to give. Others cite the need to "give back." Maybe I am just an optimist, but I think those are the best reasons of all. These people seem to believe that it is their self-imposed responsibility to try to help alleviate some of the suffering in their community. People may give one dollar or a million dollars, but they all feel somehow it is what they should do…not what they have to do. Each of them, in his or her own way, is taking on the responsibility of trying to solve the problems of the community, the nation, the world. So when we ask, "Whose responsibility is it?" they are answering, "It is my responsibility."