The new year brings renewed hope and a chance to start fresh in every area of life. You may be considering ways to make improvements to your health, finances, family, or career. So why not consider asking God to lead you as you consider your big dreams and generosity goals this year?
Here are some simple suggestions we hope will inspire you to greater generosity in 2023.
1. Celebrate and reflect
Take a quick inventory of your giving and granting last year. What are some of the milestones to celebrate and challenges to overcome? Pray about the impact you want to have this year.
2. Jot it down in a journal
Start a 2023 generosity journal to record your reflections, aspirations, prayers, and inspiring Scriptures. Bring it along to church or use it during your quiet time. Aim to make at least one entry a week.
3. Take an inventory of abundance
Resources for giving include not just money but your testimony, talents, time, influence, knowledge, and more. Our Wealth & Resources Giving Strategy guide can help you explore more.
4. Get back to the basics
Carve out a regular place in your schedule to study what the Bible says about money and giving, even if you’ve done it before. Our 10 principles of biblical generosity devotional can help.
5. Set goals
Set aside a time to pray and ponder your goals for sharing your time, talent, and treasure. For financial giving, set up recurring gifts and grants in your Giving Fund to help reach your goals.
6. Put it on the calendar
Add big dreams or giving goals as a daily, weekly, or quarterly entry on your calendar or to-do list, as an alarm on your phone, a bookmark in your Bible, or even a Post-it® note on your mirror.
7. Create a generosity vision board
Use photos, quotes, and phrases from magazines, your favorite charity’s website, a mission trip, or an unreached people group to create a vision board. Display it where you’ll see every day.
8. Make a generosity playlist
Let’s face it, there will be days when you’re feeling less than generous. For those moments, make a playlist of worship songs, rock anthems, or classical vibes to adjust your perspective.
9. Explore new resources
Read a new book on generosity or reread an old classic, listen to an inspiring sermon on giving, or sign up for a podcast. Our Generosity library has plenty of resources to explore.
10. Steer clear of temptation
If rush hour threatens your goal to be more kind, adjust your schedule; if sales emails derail your giving budget, unsubscribe. Choose a Scripture as an anchor when you want to give in to fear or frustration.
11. Surround yourself with inspiration
Take a picture of your generosity vision board, and make it your screensaver; change your passwords to match your dreams; and update your profile picture on social media.
12. Check your progress
As time goes on, it’s easy to lose sight of your goals. Use your generosity journal to look back on how far you’ve come or use your Giving Fund to run reports of your progress.
13. Investigate innovative ways to give
Did you know it may be possible to give more than you ever dreamed by changing what you give? Call your NCF team to see how you can leverage your non-cash assets for greater giving.
14. Find a mentor (and mentor someone else)
Who’s the most generous person you know? Generosity is contagious, so hang out with generous people, and cultivate some generosity heroes. And look for opportunities to do the same for someone else.
15. Get closer to your causes
The closer you are to what really matters, the better the chance you have of following through on your intentions. Volunteer, take a trip, and find ways to spend time getting to know those you wish to serve.
16. Research new trends
Investigating recent trends is a great way to get excited about new possibilities. Trends such as Christian microfinance, impact investing, social enterprises, and crowdfunding are just a few.
17. Make it a family affair
Share your vision for giving with your spouse, children, grandchildren, siblings, nieces and nephews, or anyone you want on your team. Encourage each other as you embrace a year-long journey.
18. Buddy up
Look for generous allies in your small group, at work, and at play. Would your business partner, best friend, small group leader, golf buddy, or tennis partner share and uplift your vision?
19. Write an imaginary grant check
Take a page out of a popular millionaire’s handbook and go ahead and write that dream grant check to your favorite charity by faith. Keep it handy to inspire you all year long, and pray about actually giving it if the opportunity becomes a real possibility.
20. Attend generosity events
There are many events that can inspire you with giver stories, new charities, and ways of giving. Ask your NCF team about Generous Giving, Q Ideas, or Faith-Driven Entrepreneur Live.
21. Connect with a generous community
You may not realize it, but there are other generous givers dreaming big for God’s purposes in your community. Your local NCF office is a great place to connect with them!
22. Take it one day, one hour, one minute at a time
Make it habit to close your eyes, or take a deep breath and say a silent prayer to have the most generous response in every situation. Cultivating a spirit of generosity is a journey, and there’s joy in every moment.
23. Enjoy celebration Saturdays
Make every Saturday a celebration of generosity as you read the weekly Saturday 7 email. Use this resource to rejoice in the news of what God is doing around the world and in your heart.
We look forward to seeing what God has in store for your journey of generosity together with him this year. And we hope you let that journey begin now by sharing this article with a friend! (Buttons for sharing are at the top of this page.)
Photo: Markus Spiske on Unsplash
