Generosity is part of who we are. It has less to do with the assets we possess than the empathy we feel.

Over the last decade, we have seen declines in the number of people donating to charity or volunteering, changes in the demographics of participation, and growing questions about which actions and which communities get counted or left out in traditional measures of giving and volunteering.

In response to the challenges facing generosity in America, leadership from The Giving Institute and Giving USA Foundation began to investigate the idea of a commission that could address these concerns. Out of this exploratory effort, the Generosity Commission was born.

We are a nonpartisan group of individuals with a mission to celebrate and support Americans’ spirit of generosity as expressed through everyday giving, volunteering, and other forms of civic engagement.

At the heart of our democracy is an engaged citizenry, willing to dedicate time and resources to solving problems. In the process these everyday givers and volunteers build social capital, advance citizen agency, and strengthen our communities’ capacity to solve. They are central players in the American experience. The trust they build provides the societal glue on which our unique form of self-governance relies.

Jane Wales
Co-Chair, Generosity Commission; Vice President, the Aspen Institute

The Generosity Commission’s mission to celebrate and support Americans’ spirit of generosity is fundamental to our society and our values. Generosity can be part of the skills that young people learn as they grow up, much like other skills. It is also something that can be reinforced throughout their lives, through family, through networks, and especially through their workplace. We all have a role in enabling and nurturing a culture of generosity and mutual support because individual giving and volunteering are vital parts of the American experience.

Mike Gianoni
Co-Chair, Generosity Commission; President and CEO, Blackbaud