Ryan Streeter

Opinion contributor

It’s time for a national tithe.

Tithing is the idea that you regularly give a small percentage of your income to help those in need and to provide for the good of the community. It is based on the simple principle that all of us gain more when we sacrifice individually.

This national tithe should be voluntary, not mandated, and only those with jobs and income should participate. But we should regard it seriously enough during the pandemic that all of us who are able to do so should feel obligated to participate in it, and embarrassed if we do not.

The pandemic is asking a lot of us. As usual, Americans are responding creatively, and sometimes heroically, as they help their neighbors and communities.

Religious groups and nonprofits have set up makeshift food banks; doctors and nurses have come out of retirement to aid local hospitals; and distillers have cut into their bottom line to make complimentary hand sanitizer for local hospitals and clinics. Stories like these abound across the country. But even this unmatched generosity is not enough. Given the scale of the problems we will face in the coming months, we need to do more, even more than our government is already doing.

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Anyone who has grown up in one of America’s numerous religious traditions knows the concept of tithing. Giving is a sacrificial and concrete expression of your commitment to your community and its needs. If you don’t give, your commitment to the community is superficial. You don’t have to be a religious believer to get the concept.

Charity supplements government aid

Our attention is rightly focused on how the massive federal relief effort will save jobs and financially protect families, but we all need to do our part nonetheless. If we are able, we should decide on a percentage of our income, and start giving.

The word “tithe” derives from an older English word that means a tenth. Tithing 10% is well-known to members of various religious traditions. It began when Abraham gave a tenth of all his possessions to the priest Melchizedek in Genesis 14. But since many of us already give to other worthy organizations, a more realistic, lower percentage would still do a lot of good.

Let’s say two-thirds of the families in the top 20 percent of earners (households earning more than $130,000 annually) gave 4% of their income to virus-related relief efforts this year. It would total about $160 billion. If that same group actually gave a tenth this year, which is admittedly unrealistic, it would total more than the $349 billion Congress appropriated to help small businesses.

There is of course no way to predict who will give and how much they will donate amid ongoing economic turmoil, but our philanthropic capacity in America runs deep, even in tough times.

Historically, roughly two-thirds of American households give money to charitable causes each year, a share that grows among higher-income households. And while 4% of income is higher than the 2 to 3% that givers typically donate, it is not unreasonable to ask as much during these extraordinary times. If civic, religious and other public leaders call on those of us who are able to do our part and give 4%, we can collectively provide a substantial amount of aid.

We will also probably see large numbers of lower- and middle-income families participate. Givers on the lower end of the income distribution typically give a greater share of their income to charitable causes than their wealthier counterparts, making them the truly sacrificial givers in America.

A national tithe should be consistent with America’s diffuse, community-oriented dynamism. There is no single national nonprofit we should support. Rather, we can give directly to houses of worship providing food to the unemployed, local charities providing medical care, or larger umbrella organizations that directly support frontline organizations helping families in need.

Giving helps us find purpose

A secondary and important benefit to a call to action such as a national tithe is what giving confers to benefactors. Social scientists have found that giving imparts meaning and increases happiness, both of which are welcome in a crisis.

Theologian John Wesley famously preached a sermon based on the maxim, “Gain all you can, save all you can, give all you can.” Gaining and saving have just gotten much harder for millions of Americans. But for those who are still able, giving as much as possible will be a significant part of getting the nation through this crisis.

Ryan Streeter is director of domestic policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute. Follow him on Twitter: @streeterryan.