by Most of us who are reading this (and certainly me writing it) have been fortunate in life. It’s easy, in a social-media-driven world, to look around and see people who have more money or who are taking more extravagant trips, etc., and to not appreciate how lucky we are, but given how many people in this country (and even more so, in the world) struggle to put food on their tables and a roof over their heads, we are doing quite well and have much to be thankful for.
That doesn’t mean that most people have an exorbitant amount of money to give to worthy causes without a thought/plan. So how can we responsibly give back, while being most efficient with our contributions? I will outline some thoughts/ideas below (and please keep in mind that I think that anyone who contributes to worthy causes in any way is helping to make the world a better place).
At a high level, there are two types of resources that one can contribute: time and money. So the first thing to consider is, which, if either, is more abundant for you? To take two polar opposite/extreme examples, someone who works part time at minimum wage and doesn’t have a family to take care of is going to have a greater ability to donate time than money; on the other end of the spectrum, a CEO of a Fortune 500 company is going to find it more plausible to donate a lot of money than a lot of time. Figure out which (and it could be some of both of course) makes more sense for your current schedule and financial situation.
While you might not think about charitable giving as a hobby, when you consider it takes some combination of your time and money, it starts to sound exactly like a hobby. So for many people, they might want to turn charitable acts into one of their hobbies and make it a regular part of their life.
If giving your time is a better fit for you, the cause/s you choose are likely to be more local. Unless you are a retired specialist (like a retired scientist who could contribute time on the research side of an organization that is working to combat a horrible disease that effects broad swaths of the population), helping at a local food drive, animal shelter, after-school activities organization for lower-income children, and the like, are great ways to help people in a direct way (and to get the satisfaction of knowing each time you show up that you’re making an immediate difference in someone’s life).
If donating money is the preferred path for you, there are basically two paths that I group this category into. One is that you could pick a relatively large number of worthy causes (certainly there is no shortage) and give a smaller amount to each; the second is to hone in on a few (or maybe even just one) cause and increase the size of the contribution/s.
No matter which path of financial contribution you choose, there is one important thing you should know—consistent giving is preferable to erratic donations. For example, a recurring $25 monthly contribution is HIGHLY preferable for an organization compared with calling or going online once a year to make a $300 contribution, even though both are the same sum for the year. The reason is that it enables them to plan/budget for their staff, their programs, research, etc.
As far as choosing causes, this is a very personal decision, and as I said above, there is no shortage of worthy organizations that are making the world a better place each and every day. Personally, I prefer to focus most on causes where I have a personal connection—a disease that impacted a family member, a no-kill shelter if you love dogs—whatever you are passionate about, you’ll feel that much better with your contributions, whether it be time or money.
Just like with more traditional hobbies, you’ll want to pick something that is appropriate for you. You don’t want to spend your time and money on things that don’t interest you. Sure, you could pick a charity at random and send them a check, but it won’t feel as rewarding, just like if you force yourself into embroidery when you have no interest in it. So find something that works for you, and don’t worry about whether others think it’s the “most important” cause or not. If it’s important to you or if you’re interested in the outcome, that’s all that should matter.
There’s no wrong way to give back—no wrong way to help organizations whose missions are to fight against a deadly disease, improve the lives of those who’ve suffered through no fault of their own, or help people get a headed in the right direction (a scholarship fund?) even if they’re not necessarily suffering from a horrible affliction at this moment. The important thing is to do what makes the most sense for your situation—to give back in whatever way you can, which will be rewarding for both yourself and for those you are helping.
(note: I would be remiss in writing this if I didn’t link to a few organizations that are near and dear to my heart and which do wonderful work. One is Soldier Strong, which helps our Heroes who risked their lives and are now suffering as they return home; another is the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, which helps to fight childhood blood cancers, including both the research side as well as helping support families as their children fight the disease; also, as a dog lover, I cannot recommend highly enough getting involved with your local SPCA or any no-kill animal facility.)
