We’ve become a very consumer-oriented society. That wasn’t always the case though. Going back just 2 or 3 generations, it was a lot more common for people to give a portion of their income to a cause. Most often this was in the form of a donation to the local church, but it didn’t end there.
Neighbors would come help out when there was a barn to be raised. Women would get together and help out if one of their own got sick. And no matter how lean the years were, if someone needed a roof over their head or some warm food in their belly, you helped out. It was called being “neighborly”. We don’t do much of that anymore, do we?
That doesn’t mean we can’t work on being more giving. There are thousands of charities supporting all sorts of worthy causes. And one of the easiest ways to work on being more giving is to find a charity you believe in and start supporting them.
Let’s talk about how you can support that charity. Money is of course the obvious answer. While I have yet to come across a charity that couldn’t use more funds, it’s by no means the only way to help out though. If you can give a few dollars great, but if you can’t that’s ok.
Give your time instead. Call them up and see if there’s something you can help with. If they are local, go over and volunteer. If they aren’t maybe there are some skills you have (like web design or photography for example) that they could utilize. Or there may be some grunt work you can do for them online.
And let’s not forget about helping spread the word about the charity and everything they do. We are all so connected these days via social media, blogs and email. Share your story and why you are choosing to support a particular group or cause. Help spread the word and get others involved. It’s a wonderful way to be more giving.
Once you get started, it’ll be easy to be more giving in all aspects of your life. Once you make that first small donation, you find that it is both easier and more rewarding to give to a good cause than you imagined.
And, you’ll find that spending your time and energy on a good cause is much more rewarding than spending your weekend watching Netflix. Before you know it you’ll find yourself helping out an elderly neighbor or volunteering to help in the local soup kitchen.
Here’s your assignment for the next few days:
Find a charity or organization you can support. Then do just that. Give monetary support when you can, but also give your time. Volunteer or if that’s not possible, help spread the word about the organization by sharing some their work on your favorite social media sites or emailing some interested friends about them.
