Day 240: Can Generosity Be Infectious?

Photo by Elaine Casap on Unsplash

TED started as an exclusive conference for wealthy attendees. When a nonprofit led by Chris Anderson acquired the company, they had to operate for the public good, so they posted six talks online. They went viral.

They decided they should give away all the talks online — but what would happen to the TED conference itself, the company’s only source of income? Wouldn’t flooding the supply with online talks shrivel the demand for conference tickets?

Of course, the opposite happened: TED became such a sensation that people lined up for tickets and donors offered unprecedented support. Then people started asking if they could sponsor similar conferences in their own communities. TED didn’t have anywhere near the staff to manage that — so they gave away their brand, licensing TEDx conferences all over the world.

“Infectious Generosity”

This experience prompted Anderson to write Infectious Generosity: The Ultimate Idea Worth Spreading. Anderson has a dream: to take back the internet, individual by individual, each of us making small acts of generosity that go viral. That may mean giving money in a thoughtful way, or it may mean giving your time, your gifts, even simply your attention. The book explores the what, the how, and the ‘what if’ of generosity that spreads.

Ask and ye shall receive … On Friday, I posted a public prayer for a solution to a dilemma of my own: A social enterprise inspired by the Lenten season ten years ago stalled due to COVID and remains stuck behind several roadblocks that are not in my control. I prayed for a path forward.

My own life has changed a lot since that Lenten inspiration. I got married, bought a house, became part of a much larger family. My previous commitments of radical saving, thoughtful giving, and conscious resource conservation became more complicated when making decisions as a couple, and gradually faded into the background as life went on. Those values haven’t changed — but how can I update my commitments to fit my new circumstances?

Infectious Generosity for Everybody

Infectious Generosity has a wealth of ideas to explore. Whether you’re a very rich person trying to give away millions or a college student trying to make a meaningful gift of what you have, Anderson has examples and insights for you.

And, of course, he’s given talks about it - you can listen to an interview with Anderson on the TED podcast, How To Be a Better Human.