Giving in a time of great uncertainty can be difficult, especially when it can be challenging to see whether the good would actually make a difference or not. Seeing the change that needs to happen is one thing but acting upon that conviction to figure out how to contribute to change is another thing entirely.
Giving is one of the main reasons people are motivated to build margin in their lives. It has been a huge contributing factor to building margin in my own life.
In the blog on the zero-based budget approach, I went over how to build a budget based on assigning each dollar you make to a category, including giving. I recommend setting it at 10% to donate toward a cause of your choice. Human beings tend to be pretty financially distracted, so this practice can be easier said than done.
I’m sure you can relate to this as well, but it seems like whenever I ask how someone is doing today, more often than not, I hear the word “busy.” Our schedules are full of commitments, projects, and tasks, yet we choose to keep it that way. We feel like we have to catch up, keep up, or surpass those that we feel the undue pressure to be better than. This leads us to be far too focused on ourselves. Unfortunately, this has caused us to focus less on being a part of our communities and neighborhoods, and be less involved and engaged in other people’s lives. Considering the challenges of the past year, this problem has only been further exacerbated.
I recently had a conversation with my grandparents, who were telling me about all of their neighbors: who had been there the longest, what they did for a living, the number of kids and ages, as well as various other aspects of their lives. It really got me thinking… what does my community look like, and how do I make it a priority? I’ve never met any of my neighbors because, well… I’m busy. I smile and wave, but that’s the extent of the discourse. I believe this behavior is commonplace, and it’s why we are where we are as a society.
I love talking about giving with people because it takes the focus off of themselves, their financial challenges, needs, wants, and even long-term goals.
It refocuses that on the needs of those immediately around them. I think we all can see how spending more time investing in other people, causes, or charitable activities makes a huge difference. The key is to find what inspires you and contribute in that way. Don’t get overwhelmed by all of the ways you could contribute, but hone in on which causes matter most to you and to which you can add the most value.
I was browsing through some data around giving and came across a few Gallup surveys that show the last few years and how they have seen a steady decrease in both donated resources and donated time.
Gallup found that people reported an estimated 10% decrease in monetary donations and a 6% decrease in time donations. The last year has been tough for a number of reasons, but these stats began to drop back in 2017 pretty noticeably. The data showed that as household income decreased, the percentage of those involved in both donations also reduced. They found that household incomes of $40k or less had the steepest declines. Interestingly, they also saw a correlation between generosity with time and resources and level of education.
Despite the apparent decrease in charitable activities amongst those surveyed, does this make sense if you think about it? Have you seen your own desire to contribute time and resources diminish as well?
It is my belief that no one is actually self-made.
Everyone receives critiques, encouragement, and feedback from those around them, and that’s how they become who they are. I volunteer my time intentionally pouring into and mentoring guys who are typically just getting started in their careers. I also decided that it’s a high priority for me to donate funds to a non-profit and invest time in helping people build margin in their personal finances through resources like this one.
What about you?
Have you ever thought about how you can add value to another person’s life? We often think that the sacrifice will be too great, but more often than not, you’ll find that the very sacrifice you made of time or resources does more for you than you would believe. You may even realize that what you are doing to give back ends up doing more for you than it seems to do for the recipient.
Giving should be in everyone’s Plan to Spend; every budget needs to have this component in order to be complete.
CTA:
Today, whose meal or coffee can you pay for, who can you extend a genuine hand to, or what organization can you begin giving to? What individual(s) have helped you become who you are today, and how can you thank them? Consider extending your gratitude to them by paying it forward and helping someone else in the same way.
Sources:
https://news.gallup.com/poll/310880/percentage-americans-donating-charity-new-low.aspx
