Becoming a Cheerful Giver: Steps from Author Kari Kampakis

During a planning session for the Stepping into Generosity Giving Circle, a local kingdom-focused giving collaboration of 100-plus women, one of our leaders commented “I love the writing of Kari Kampakis. It would be amazing if we could get her to speak at our next luncheon.”  And so, it began. Soon, that leader, Sarah Provonsha, one the author’s biggest fans, found herself on a video call with Kari herself, the author of “More than a Mom”, wife, and mother of four girls from Birmingham, Alabama. Fast forward to March 4, 2025, when Kari shared a rich and meaningful generosity message with 300-plus women of all ages from throughout our community. It was a message that is still resonating in the hearts of the women who heard it. 

Not having written on generosity before, Kari was intrigued by our request. Later she wrote about why she accepted our invitation “Realizing that I needed time to reflect on God’s generosity to me – and how it impacts my generosity to others – I said yes.”  And the Chattanooga community has reaped the benefits of her decision. 

Filled with invaluable nuggets that struck a chord with her audience, Kari’s talk began with this concept: generosity is not about keeping score of how generous we are. True generosity is something that we can’t help when we are responding to God’s goodness in our lives. Using memorable stories and examples, Kari walked us through the steps of becoming the cheerful giver that Paul writes about in 1 Corinthians 9:6-7.

“The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.  Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”  

So how do we decide in our hearts to become a cheerful giver?  And after we decide, how do we move to a place of giving cheerfully? First, we must understand that generosity matters. Kari gave us three reasons that generosity matters: 

– It saves us from ourselves and helps us raise generous children
– It brings out our best
– It leads us closer to God  

Providing vivid examples from her life and her relationships, Kari shared her insight on the power of reflection, specifically on God’s generosity in our lives and how His generosity to us effects our generosity to others. Understanding that everything we have belongs to God, she reminded us that the things of this world are just temporarily in our hands.  Through the step of reflection, we can come to the realization that “God created us for community.  He designed us to help lighten each other’s loads depending on who has needs at the time.” Her message: We don’t need to try to do it all ourselves.   

Other valuable steps to becoming a cheerful giver included “developing qualities like thoughtfulness, kindness, and a strong work ethic, all of which leads to healthy relationships.”  Kari reminded us that “the seeds you plant today determine the harvest you’ll have tomorrow. If you want a generous crop, be intentional in planting a lot of good seeds now.”  As we seek a life with meaning, purpose, joy, and hope, we can be inspired to invest in God’s Kingdom on earth and to draw people in using the gifts God has given us.

Valuable “take-aways” to becoming a cheerful giver: 

– Realizing why generosity matters
– Reflecting on God’s generosity to you
– Moving away from a focus on ourselves
– Learning to lighten someone else’s load
– Planting seeds today that will one day yield a beautiful harvest
– Seeing God’s hand in the harvest that brings us meaning, purpose, joy, and hope
– Investing in God’s Kingdom here on earth 

And these are just a few of the pearls of wisdom that were shared at the Stepping into Generosity giving circles’ luncheon – a luncheon that also highlighted the four ministries receiving the 2025 grants from the giving circle. Since 2022, the women’s giving circle has given a total of $375,000 away to area ministries serving women and children – $100,000 this year.  The ministries receiving support in 2025 are:  

– A Hand Up Ministry-Hope House in Trenton, a ministry providing safe and structured housing for women who have experienced devastation from addiction
– Alpha and Omega, Inc, a biblically based afterschool and summer program for inner-city youth
– Girls Inspired, an outreach ministry to help alleviate the impact of poverty for girls living in marginalized neighborhoods
– Scenic City Network, a faith-based ministry that encourages, equips, and energized Christian working women 

Members of Stepping into Generosity give $50 a month or $600 a year for one vote; $100 a month or $1,200 a year for two votes.  A portion of the membership dues have been matched annually by local foundations and individuals. Contact The Generosity Trust to learn more about Stepping into Generosity and the three other giving circles we host: 

– Sharing God’s Goodness serving small ministries in the local African American Community
– Unidos en Compasión supporting the local Latino communities
– Young Giver Circle bringing young leaders together to collaborate for greater community impact

We have some extra autographed copies of Kari’s Book “Yours, Not Hers.” If you would like a copy for yourself or to share with a friend, please stop by our office sometime and we would be happy to share!