The Program in Action: The Bangor Rotary Project

In winter, 2003, Thoughtful Giving launched a series of readings and discussions convened by the Bangor, Maine Rotary Club. The group of approximately 15 Rotarians was organized and led by club member Geoff Gratwick, a rheumatologist, and former Chair of the Maine Humanities Council, with assistance from Dr. William Imes, the president of Bangor Theological Seminary.

The group met monthly during the winter over a light meal followed by about 90 minutes of conversation. In true Rotary fashion, the audience (both men and women) ranged across a number of professions, including nonprofit executives, a carpenter, a minister, a property manager, and operators of a medical facility. Most members did not have a great deal of experience with reading and discussion groups, and a number, in their evaluation surveys, commented on their reasons for joining the group. Asked what convinced them to join, responses were varied, and included such comments as "I was intrigued by the premise, interested in the topic, and eager to see how this worked"; or "I have decided that participation in community life is one of life's pleasures, and that giving, broadly construed, is essential to this end" or "The topic of giving interests me personally -- I rarely think about why I give -- and professionally, as I have been involved in fundraising as a pastor for 32 years."

While none of the participants reported that the sessions changed his/her view of philanthropy in a fundamental sense (most admitted a previous interest in giving and serving - not at all surprising given Rotary's focus on those areas), most did report that the reflective aspects of the program were helpful. One respondent said "it made me examine my own motives in giving and made me want to give more - but with care and attention."

When asked what they would tell colleagues or friends to convince them to participate in a future Thoughtful Giving program, a number made references to the social/fellowship aspects of the discussions and how "you get to know old friends in new and unexpected ways - it is a way to get below the surface, beyond pleasantries." One member noted that he "would focus more on the experience than on the topic"; that "the opportunity for rational and civil conversation on any topic is a rare one." People clearly enjoyed themselves, but, by all accounts, it was far more than an enjoyable series of dinner conversations.

The readings tackled by that Bangor group were all drawn from The Perfect Gift. They were considerably shorter than the selections that the Humanities Council has typically used in adult reading and discussion series (including its earlier philanthropy projects that took place in the late 1990's). When asked about the volume of reading, however, several respondents were enthusiastic in their praise for the brevity of the assignments. While some noted that longer readings would have "been do-able," nobody felt that the readings were inadequate or that the conversation suffered as a result.

The Bangor Rotary Thoughtful Giving group chose the following readings:

Session 1:

• Lynn and Wisely: Toward a Fourth Philanthropic Response: American Philanthropy and Its Public
• O. Henry, Two Thanksgiving Day Gentlemen

Session II

• Andrew Carnegie The Gospel of Wealth
• Moses Maimonides, Laws Concerning Gifts to the Poor
• Edward Holmes, Town Office

Session III

• Henri Barbusse The Eleventh
• Rabindranath Tagore, "Gift"

Session IV

• Stephen Vincent Benet, The Bishop's Beggar.

By all accounts the texts were successful, both in their variety, and in their ability to spark conversation. Notably, no two evaluations cited the same text as a favorite, though participants were more likely to favor the works of fiction in the group.

Perhaps the most interesting effect of this program was a sense of many participants that it should somehow continue, and thus "drill deeper" into the culture of the Bangor Rotary Club. "It's a shame that only 15 of us have had this experience" one member said. What form this subsequent engagement ultimately will take remains to be seen, but there was at least one conversation around the notion of having the group members, in turn, each lead groups of their own with other Rotarians.