Reclaiming the Founders’ Spirit of Service
By: J. Porter Durham, Jr., Partner, Grant Philanthropic Advisors
“The noblest question in the world is: What good may I do in it?” — Benjamin Franklin, Poor Richard’s Almanack
Owing to the 250th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, I have been focusing my reading time on the basics of our founding as a nation. Time and distance have a way of blurring and distorting facts; the clarity needed to regain our footing in facts requires thoughtful assessment and discernment. Facts are indeed, as John Adams noted, “stubborn things.” What is clear, and well accepted, is the extraordinary service and dedication of the men and women of this period who sacrificed everything, including their lives, to be free from the tyrannies and caprice of distant, monarchical rule.
The founding of the United States of America was a raucous, disjointed affair. The Declaration itself provoked a years-long war with Great Britain. It took several more years to devise and approve a Constitution for the new nation, which was then immediately amended to include the Bill of Rights. Many colonists worried that they were trading one type of king for another, one type of oppression for another. Families were divided by their loyalties and their faith. All knew that there would be strife and bloodshed. But all had hope that there would be a clear path to personal freedom when the furor and fight was done.
Depending upon who you include in the count, the average age of the people who birthed our nation was roughly 29. That is remarkable when you think about it in modern terms. From the farmer in the field who took up arms in the local militia, to the learned of the colonies who were sent to Philadelphia to sort out how the future might look for a new, free country, not many of them were much past what we think of as young adulthood. It is incredible, truly, to consider what those people of that time were willing to risk, not realizing that they were fully in the process of making history for all of mankind. They were our first and most deliberate “volunteers.” How might all of this translate in our latter day? Could we moderns muster the stuff required to do the hard work of our ancestors, our founders? Are we ready to volunteer?
The US Census Bureau keeps track of many types of numbers. These might be of interest. An estimated 137.5 million people, about 54% of the US population, helped their neighbors with a variety of chores, including housesitting, running errands, lending tools, and looking after family members. About 76 million Americans (or 28 % of the US population aged 16 and older) volunteered with an organization for the provision of services. While these numbers are a bit dated (September, 2022-2023), they reflect a post-COVID trend toward increased volunteerism by our citizens. Americans, from our inception as a nation, have answered the call of community. As our society has grown, businesses and government have grown. In colonial times, helping a neighbor meet an urgent need was how the machinery of daily life operated. There was no governmental support of the kind we know today, nor were there organized public or private delivery systems for the meeting of basic family needs.
A modern society cannot function well without these structures; yet, there is no substitute, no program or agency or bureau, that can replace the voluntary acts of kindness and individual charity that happen every day in America. We lament the recent decline in government assistance, and to be sure, the government is an outsized player in the social services space. Private and community foundation assets totaled approximately $1.5 billion in 2024; public sector social services would consume this amount in 79 days of one year. Because capitalism abhors a vacuum, any social service that can be monetized and serviced for profit will be. Elder care is an example. The elder care market size in the U.S. is projected to reach approximately $16 billion in 2026. The profit motive inherent in this sort of market is strong enough to attract major investment of capital and resources. The colonists only knew that if a relative or neighbor needed tending, their house should be open to this work, for as long as it took. Our nation was built in this fashion, one supporting community at a time, by individuals who felt a deep responsibility to each other, beyond what might be in it for them.
Serving others is a free act in our country, one of the privileges and responsibilities which comes with our freedom. In this year, for those of us in the philanthropic sector (which is an American invention!), let’s remember what a privilege it is to serve, and to do so in support of our freedoms. Let’s find ways to inspire our fellow citizens to meet the call of service and then support those efforts. We can’t replace government funding. We can’t offer investors the profit of the marketplace. What we can and must do is redouble our efforts to deliver the thoughtful support and solutions that our sector can. It is our concern for and awareness of others that amplifies the great gift of personal freedom we were given 250 years ago. Benjamin Franklin, the oldest of the founding group by far, said it best: “A man wrapped up in himself makes a very small bundle.” The Founders meant for America to be a great nation of great ambition and purpose, large in its interests and its concerns. Down through the generations, this has been our charge, serving neighbors and thereby serving our nation. And it still is today.
About Grant Philanthropic Advisors:
We’re an independent firm helping clients to focus and maximize their philanthropy—in turn, strengthening the fabric of our communities. Founded in 2019, we help donors move from responsive patterns of giving by assisting clients to identify values and become more strategic in their philanthropy. Our goal is to help donors to become more effective as change-makers. We work with foundations (large and small staff teams), donor advised fund holders, multi generational families, individuals, philanthropy supporting organizations and corporations to design philanthropic strategies.