Demographics matters, too, when it comes to charity. The elderly do more giving and volunteering than the young. Thus, the aging of the baby boom generation suggests that both will increase over the next several decades. Indeed, data back to the 1920s also show that each generation is more generous than the previous generation at the same age, according to Father Andrew Greeley, a sociologist at the University of Chicago. Another reason for forecasting rapid growth in philanthropy lies with our remarkably turbulent economy.
Layoffs are routine, and technological change makes many skills obsolete with chilling rapidity.
Yet society needs mechanisms for sharing risks. Aftter the Great Depression and the Second World War, government took on this risk-sharing role with Social Security, unemployment insurance, and welfare. Still, people feel compelled to take risks. Perhaps that's why some are increasingly turning to nonprofit organizations. Church groups play a leading role in counseling laid off executives.