Dr. Jeremy Beer's study of American society over the last 200 years, overlaid with psychology research and statistics about American charitable giving, has brought about his recent book: The Quest for Belonging.

The book directly advises nonprofit and fundraising leaders, though it just as much informs the everyday giver. This week on HeightsCast, Beer helps us see that charitable giving at its best is not a distant act of beneficence but an intimate act of community. It allows those who participate to become more rooted in the reality of social belonging, making for a healthier society in more ways than one.

Chapters:

3:56 American cultural tradition of "association"
7:39 Four pillars of civil society
9:04 American society, in particular
16:53 Gradual decline of American association, of belonging
21:33 Giving and religious affiliation
25:04 Giving and localism
28:02 Giving as a democratic exercise
31:31 Nonprofits have a role in belonging
33:50 The goods of associating ourselves
34:36 To whom do you owe?
41:07 Giving and the Catholic tradition

Links:

The Quest for Belonging: How the Most Effective Nonprofit Leaders Understand the Psychology of Giving by Jeremy Beer
Givers, Doers, and Thinkers, Jeremy Beer's podcast
A Spirituality of Fundraising by Henri J. M. Nouwen

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