Give It Up

“Pretty good, for an old guy.” This was my grandfather’s consistent reply each time I called to check in during the last decade. This response always made me laugh—he wasn’t ignoring or trying to justify his age, he was embracing it. His reply always came with the same slight smile I could hear on the other end mixed with just the right amount of sarcasm.

My grandparents were in a word: generous. They showered us with tales of the past and unswerving support of our education. In their mind, an education was the most valuable asset they could provide.

Grandfather came from a time when he would hunt during the depression for his family to have meat on the table for dinner, but the grandparents I remember were often surrounded by chef prepared meals and rich jazz music. They knew lean times and because of it, lived it up when they were able.  My grandparents taught me about generosity and embracing where you are in life. To be lavish when lavishness is possible and to hold constant to those you hold dear. Grandfather’s constant mantra will help remind me to be positive about where I am, laugh at that place, even when it hurts and to recognize that I can’t change my age, but I can embrace it and those around me.

Recently, I heard a great talk on generosity. The principles of generosity were laid out as: Give first, Give to those who can’t repay and Generosity costs. My grandparents gave generously. They sought out something good for me that I didn’t know I wanted and gave it to me first, without me asking for a thing or initiating any giving. Clearly, as a child, I could not repay. They weren’t expecting anything in return for their giving. Finally, generosity cost them. Increasingly, they made choices that would enable to them to contribute more substantially to supporting their grandchildren’s schooling.

The talk also spoke about barriers to generosity, like the fear of your giving being wasted or unappreciated. As I step into my internship in rural Africa with ThinkImpact, the idea of generosity is very much on my mind. Coming from a nonprofit background, my intrinsic motivation to work has been giving, in a way. However, ThinkImpact’s model is that of a social enterprise—a delicate balance between income generating pursuits and positive social impact. The more MBA education I receive, I can see the incredible impact that business makes. It is more sustainable and is often held more accountable than the nonprofit sector—and all the better that social benefit is imbedded in it.

Where does generosity fit here then? How can I give first, to those who can’t repay and acknowledge the cost of my own giving without compromising the principles of the bottom line—even a blended social and economic one? What fears do I have that my giving will be wasted or unappreciated? For now, I have decided to respond like my grandfather. I will acknowledge honestly where I am and where I am going. I do not have the answers to solve poverty, but ThinkImpact has given me some of the tools. I do not know the community I will step into, what their assets are and what type of businesses they would like to begin in their own communities to combat which social challenges, but social enterprises can address these questions if approached in a transparent partnership between cultures and skill sets.

During this experience, I will be guiding students through a curriculum where they will learn how to partner with local community members to create social enterprises. I think this is where I can give as generously as my grandparents did for me. I can pour our my knowledge of other cultures, problem solving skills in what can be uncomfortable travel situations and ultimately be a support as these students to learn about the assets that the community and they themselves possess. When we return after two months in country, I hope that we can confidently respond that we did “pretty good.”