WHY WE GIVE continued from page 11 Physiological and psychological research shows the health
benefits of giving, for instance, elder care programs promote volunteerism among that group to increase longevity and bolster psychological and physical health. it points back to Maslow’s finding that giving is part of the pyramid of basic needs and when the need is met, we are more healthy people. There can be immediate benefits too: “in our Humanics seminar, i oversee freshman who volunteer with underprivi- leged children at the White Street School in Springfield and see the students lives forever changed by connections they’ve made—they tell me how much they learned and got back, it’s amazing to see their faces,” says Allison Cumming-McCann. Ellen Demos Bletsos describes a physical, mental, and
emotional, sense of accomplishment and the feeling that you are in a better place. “if i can help one person on a given day, it’s important. My volunteering with our international students has meant so much to me. We’ve had graduate students here from Greece, and my family has made some really good friendships that have held up over the years. it’s just an example of people needing people, and these are the true treasures. it’s not always just material giving that makes an impact,” she says.
Getting over the reasons for not giving
AS DiSCUSSED ABoVE, there are personal reasons people give; conversely there are also personal reasons people do not give. According to Laraine Robison, potential donors have a personal need to have their gift meet a level of expectation. “We run into a lot people saying ‘i don’t want to give until i can give the amount i want to. if i can’t give a thousand dollars it would be embarrassing to give only 10, 20 or 100.’ it’s a pride thing, even if we argue that it’s about participation not the amount, we don’t always succeed. Some donors give at a high level and then a circumstance comes up and they can’t continue at that level. They stop giving all together because they can’t live up to their personal expectations.
i try to get them to understand the importance of any gift to the College, no matter what amount or what expectation.” Karl Zacker agrees that pride gets in the way of giving:
“i’m not a big fan of recognizing people by name with the amounts given. i agree with Laraine, because people feel a need to measure up to others and if they can’t, they may not want to give anything. i just wish people could send us checks and we would send the same thank you note to everyone. All gifts add up to a large sum of money,” he says Phil Dwyer thinks people may not give because they are
not asked, or not asked in the right way. “The financial devel- opment people at the yMCA of the USA have done studies showing that if you simply ask if someone would donate more money, or volunteer more, 35% say they would if asked. Most people however do not like to ask others to give money. i think the tired old phrase is apt ‘There are plenty of givers, just not enough askers,” he explains. So there are many reasons to give, and even a few not to
give. While we’ve seen how personal connections, College traditions, and gratitude play a role in giving back to Springfield College, sometimes giving is motivated by something as simple as a powerful belief. Take Gerry Backlund; while he is not an alumnus, he has a son who is, Doug ‘84, a K-3 physical educator in Duxbury, Mass. Gerry still donates on a regular basis even though his son graduated more than 25 years ago. Why? “Doug had a great experience. As a parent i saw the Humanics philosophy really translating into service, and this is a very important and unique benefit Springfield College offers its students and society. And, at Springfield College, it is more than talk, it is also lived. That’s why i continue to give after all these years—simply because i have great faith in the College and continue to believe in its philosophy.”1
* From “Unraveling the mystery of why we give, or don’t” by Judy Keen, USA Today, Dec. 1, 2010.
IT’S NOT ABOUT THE BANJO continued from page 13
hopefully it will keep the spotlight on great teaching. We will also make the forums available to new faculty,” he says. Now back to the banjo. “i started learning to play
the banjo in 2002, i have no musical talent, and my teacher can confirm that, but i have made some progress. The title of my presentation, ‘it’s Not About the Banjo,’ is a quote from my banjo teacher. Her idea is that it’s not about the banjo, it’s about the student—you have to know where the student is
starting and assess the skills available to build on. you can’t teach the same way for every student, because each person is different. Finding out about the student and how you are going to present the subject in a way that connects with students’ skills and strengths and engage that person—that’s the key. Content, in my case the banjo, comes later. All that being said, i can tell you this, at the presentation i was more nervous about playing the banjo than giving the lecture.”1
...It’s not about the banjo, it’s about the
student—you have to know where the
student is starting and assess the skills
available to build on.
TRIANGLE 1 Vol . 83, No. 2
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