A recent article in The Chronicle for Philanthropy compared states in their "giving as a percentage of adjusted gross income" in 2012.  At the top of the list were Utah (6.56%), Mississippi (4.99%), and Alabama (4.99%).  At the bottom of the list were Vermont (2.00%), Maine (1.95%), and New Hampshire (1.74%).  To find your state, go to the article:

"How States Compare and How They Voted in the 2012 Election," The Chronicle for Philanthropy (Oct. 5, 2014)

In another article in The Chronicle for Philanthropy, Drew Lindsay reported on the recent World Giving Index 2014 ranking for 3 charitable behaviors: giving to charity, helping a stranger in need, and volunteering.  Myanmar ranked first in the world in giving, with 91% of survey respondents reporting a donation in the previous month.  In the report, published by the Charities Aid Foundation, the top 10 countries for people who donate money are: Myanmar, Malta, Thailand, Ireland & United Kingdom (tied 4th), Canada, Iceland & Netherlands (tied 7th), United States (9th), Australia & Indonesia (tied 10th).   The US ranked 1st in helping a stranger in need and 5th in volunteering.

Lindsay, Drew, "United States Ranks 9th in the World in Giving to Charity," The Chronicle for Philanthropy (Nov. 18, 2014)

World Giving Index 2014, Charities Aid Foundation (Nov. 2014)

In October Reverend Bill Keane, Senior Minister of the First Baptist Church of Branford, CT presented a webinar on stewardship.  Click here to view--Webinar--UNCOMMON CENTS

 

Check out our recently published Footprints of Generosity bulletin insert, "Here God, Take All of It," here! 

I first went through Financial Peace University at Mystic Union Baptist Church in 2010 with my ex-husband. We worked through each chapter and made some changes in our savings and spending habits. We were so impressed with the information and Dave Ramsey's plan that we committed to coordinate a class in the future. My life situation changed and this time I coordinated the class at Union Baptist Church as a single 60 year old woman who needed to revisit the lessons I learned before and to listen carefully and ask more questions because I could no longer depend on a partner to explain things I might not completely understand. I also bought a set materials for my 31 year old son and he has come to almost every class. Dave Ramsey's funny and understandable lessons appealed to him and we can now discuss my financial situation as well as his. We have the same vocabulary and the goal of being in control of our money and investing it so that we can be anxiety free about our money and hopefully someday can give more generously to others and to our church.

I loved working with this class and the questions at the end of each lesson generated some very personal discussions about our impulsive buying habits, our difficulty delaying gratification and the absolute necessity of budgeting and planning where each dollar will go. After cleaning out a home of a lifetime of souvenirs and useless things that I "just had to have" I wanted to make it clear to the young couples in the class that they needed to work hard to spend money carefully and invest wisely to avoid the anxiety that goes with a lot of debt. The power of this program is the change that happens when we meet, learn and talk with each other. I appreciated the input from each of the 15 people in our group. The thirty year olds cut up a bunch of credit cards and the 70 year old retirees looked into changing their insurance plans. The program is well designed to meet each of our needs no matter where we are in our financial journey. I look forward to coordinating another class because I will need the support and the group to stay focused on my financial goals and I enjoy sharing the great resources that Dave Ramsey offers in Financial Peace University.