A leader in the rural broadband industry, Kristi Westbrock, CEO of Consolidated Telephone Company (CTC) in Minnesota, recently gifted me a wonderful book called “The Generosity Habit” by Matthew Kelly. She’d sent it to me and a dozen other friends and industry colleagues hoping that generosity would be contagious and each of us would help to keep the wheels of giving turning after reading the book. What a wonderful way to think about the ripple impact, throwing a stone in a pond and watching the ripples grow.
When we think of generosity, we tend to think about making charitable financial contributions. Is that a key component? Certainly, but that is truly the least of what we can do if we ponder how daily giving can change your life and transform the world. In fact, the generosity habit is simple, according to Kelly. Give something away every day. It doesn’t need to be money or material things. It’s simply the act of giving.
The book was small enough to throw in my purse to read while flying and several of the nuggets really tied back to our work at NTCA with our broadband provider members and thought I would share.
Generosity is first: Support people who work on the frontlines, such as first responders, customer service personnel, medical personnel, and moms and dads. Make their lives easier.
I can’t think of anything that we saw more of during the pandemic. It was everything from watching NTCA members installing broadband to those who desperately needed it when they themselves were trying to keep their staffs safe to developing “Broadband in a Box”. We also saw members setting up telemedicine access and bringing internet connectivity to children now learning from home instead of in the classroom. Generosity was always first among our members.
Generosity is visionary: Ask someone what their dreams are and help them accomplish one of their dreams.
This is where I see the role that our Foundation for Rural Service (FRS) plays in the lives of rural Americans. In addition to the many wonderful things that FRS does, they run a scholarship program. Watching the recipient of the first James L. Bass Law School Scholarship, which NTCA members rallied to support, being able to live her dream of attending law school with aspirations of returning to help her tribal community grow and prosper was something I’ll never forget.
Generosity is personal: Get involved. Become a volunteer. Pick something that you are passionate about and allocate a specific amount of time to volunteering.
NTCA as a trade association is filled with members who are willing to volunteer their time, brain power, and resources to give their best policy and service ideas for the betterment of the entire industry. The work we do could not occur without the hundreds of folks who serve on the board, committees, and trust committees.
Generosity is togetherness: Gather a group of friends and cook them a meal. Preparing and sharing food has always been the center of human relationships.
Our meals at NTCA gatherings might not always be small, but breaking bread with friends old and new is a special way to build the relationship between our association staff and members.
Generosity is problem-solving.
Last but not least, our members all dedicate themselves to helping their communities overcome challenges and achieving forward progress.