Christmas and Philanthropy

About Christmas

In just a few days, the frenetic professional activity towards the end of the year will come to an abrupt pause. The reason? Christmas Eve and Christmas, followed by a plateau of tranquility until New Year’s Eve – which will last until Three Kings Day in many countries depending on their tradition. This pause and peace is the cause and consequence of a time of reflection and celebration in equal parts; characterised by greater closeness with family and friends, and a shared feeling of happiness and harmony. All of this, in turn, finds its justification in a capital element although it is increasingly blurred in the collective imagination. Namely, that Christmas is the holiday that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ. A day of radical importance for Christians because it celebrates that Jesus Christ, the Son of God “came down from heaven for us men and for our salvation, and by the power of the Holy Spirit was incarnated from the Virgin Mary and became man” (Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed).

The coming of the Son of God to earth is such an immense event that God wanted to prepare for it since the beginning, just as we want to celebrate it forever. Although it may seem that this is no longer the case in the era of consumerism and in the secularised societies of our time, the Christian inspiration of Christmas is still present —sometimes, even without knowing its origin— in many areas of our personal and professional lives. Family life is one example, the feeling of generosity and gratitude, another.

Christianity has influenced people and societies as a whole by promoting values such as love of neighbour, compassion, justice and equality. These values are fundamental to the teachings of Jesus Christ and have been fundamental to the development of many institutions and practices in civil society.

Similarly, since the beginning, Christianity has encouraged charity and service to those most in need. In addition to their apostolic-formative work and the administration of the sacraments as their primary mission, Christian churches and organisations have been at the forefront of providing social services, from health care and education to support for the poor and marginalised.

Christmas and Charity giving

It is precisely this Christian vision and the feelings of generosity and charity that it awakens in the hearts of people that is evident in the fundraising of non-profit organisations, which seek to capitalise on this time of the year.

In the US, donors give 24% of their annual donations to nonprofit organisations between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day (Indiana University Center for Philanthropy Studies). In the West overall, half of nonprofits receive more than 25% of annual donations between October and December (Nonprofit Fundraising Survey). Donors are more active and organisations know this and articulate campaigns, messages, etc. to get those donations. There is no doubt that, along with the ‘Christmas spirit’ that moves donors on these dates, there are other elements that are also of great importance. In particular, the closing of the fiscal year and the fact that these donations not only represent a reduction in their profits with the consequent reflection in the corporate tax, but in most cases they also bring with them a tax deduction.

In short, Christmas is a time for charity-giving. But, above all, it is a time of philanthropy, which is what underlies the activity of donors and donees, even though both terms are sometimes used —in the jargon of the sector— interchangeably. Charity —on the giving end— or fundraising —on the receiving end— is nothing more than a consequence of philanthropy understood in its genuine sense. In particular, Christian philanthropy.

The term “philanthropy” derives from two Greek roots, philos (love, affection) and anthropos (humanity). Therefore, the word reflects that disposition in which one is inclined to love one’s neighbor, regardless of self-interest. Forms of the Greek term philanthropy are found several times in the New Testament.

In the Acts of the Apostles, Luke uses the noun of the disposition of the citizens of Melita (Malta). These benevolent people demonstrated unusual “kindness” (philanthropy) toward Paul and his traveling companions when they were washed ashore during a violent storm in the Mediterranean (Acts 28:2). An adverbial form of the term is also found in Acts when it describes the behavior of a centurion whose name was Julius, who had been sent to guard Paul while the apostle was transported to Rome for the appeal of his case to the imperial court. Julius treated Paul “kindly” (philanthropos – humanely), allowing him to visit Christian friends who would care for his needs (Acts, 27:3).

However, the ultimate philanthropist is precisely Jesus Christ, whose birth we celebrate these days. The flame of philanthropy is innate to the human spirit, as a result of man’s reflection of the image of God. A flame almost extinguished over the centuries by sin and to which only Jesus Christ returned its brightness and intensity. Thus, these days it is worth remembering a perennial truth; that “we love because he first loved us” (1 Jn. 4:19).

Merry Christmas!

Juan A. Soto

Founder & CEO of Fortius Consulting

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