If you ever want to have a kid that wins the spelling bee, teach them to spell philanthropy at age three! If you ever want a kid to succeed in life, teach them what philanthropy means. Philanthropy (for those of you unversed in Webster's dictionary) means: goodwill to fellow members of the human race (thank you, webster.com for that definition!).
Why is philanthropy on my "wealth" blog? Philanthropy is about giving, wealth (in a monetary since) is about getting? Right? Not really.
From the time I was old enough to manage money, I was taught to give more than I receive. We did the Angel Tree at Christmas for needy children, we give to local school fundraisers, we support non-profits in our county, and above all- we give back to God in our tithes.
If you feel blessed in life, don't you think it's time to share your blessings? If you feel strained in life, don't you think there are others out there that feel a bit more pinched? If you look at all you have- why not give a bit away?
Ways to give:
#1- Tithes. I'm not a holy roller- never have been, never will be. BUT- God deserves ALL we have. He gives us 100% of what we have, we should always give back to Him. Tithing has been the #1 way that Josh and I have been blessed in our personal finances. We budget (see my blog on budgeting) to give every single week. If we miss a week at church, we double tithe the next week. There is never a time that the offering plate passes our pew without a envelope from the Goodnight's- and there has never been a bill we've been unable to pay. You can't out give God. Give- I guarantee He'll provide.
#2- Donate your time. Time? What time? With a one year old I KNOW what you mean when you say time is limited. Time is sparse. But, donating your time is often more helpful than donating your dollars. I was the chair for a Ryan Newman Foundation and Hospice of Iredell County Fundraiser called "Hounds For Hospice" and I was so grateful for those that simply came to help out. Without those "donors" we would have never made it through the day and I probably would have given birth (I was 8 months pregnant on the day of the outside July event).
#3- Give to local charities. Your community is probably just as full of them as ours. You have schools that constantly send out kids with things to sell- break down and buy the box of cookies. There are non-profits that are 100% ran by donations. In our community we have the Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF)- giving money to that non-profit provides afterschool care with a Bible center (and a snack!) to elementary school children. There is always a Hospice nearby- give give give. 100% of Americans will be faced with death at some point in their lives. Losing a loved one is never easy, but Hospice is a fantastic organization that is expertly trained to ease the hurt- but again, they're a non-profit that depend on your donations.
#4- Pay it Forward! My 2nd favorite! Have you ever been in a drive thru and paid for the car behind you? Try it! You'll feel fabulous the rest of the day! The benefits are: you remain anonymous, the drivethru person can tell the next car "it's free" and "pay it forward", and you may just start a revolution in your town.
So, as we are all pinching pennies these days worrying about the next bill in the mail, just remember- at least you're fortunate enough to have bills. There are clothes on your back and food on the table. Do something for someone. You can't "over give"- and you certainly can never give more than you'll receive.
Karma works- do good and good will be done unto you.
Erica
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