Maggie's Farm

"The proportion of Americans who participate in philanthropic activities - 70 percent - is higher than the number who vote."

That's not surprising.

Voting has become an almost futile exercise in choosing mediocrities; philanthropy lets you put your money and time where you want.

Back in the 1980s, my wife once worked as the curator/director (i.e., "jack of all trades") for a small historical house in Ontario. To run the house and conduct related heritage activities in the community she relied heavily on her volunteer staff.

That staff was largely composed of local women, usually from a particular stratum in the community: doctors' wives, university women and the like. These volunteers gave of their time (and their money!) and did anything and everything at the house from acting as visitor guides, washing dishes, gardening and so forth.

Put simply: without the volunteers, the house could not have operated.

At one point my wife received a visit from a young Swedish university student who was doing research on heritage organizations in Canada and the US. When my wife mentioned the large and indispensable volunteer staff, the young Swede was amazed. She stated emphatically that, in Sweden, no one would ever volunteer; they'd expect state subsidization for their work.