One of the best parts of having your own blog is that you can make a sharp right turn and talk about something totally different whenever you want! And that is what I’m about to do!!!!
You might totally hate me after reading this and that’s okay. If I lose a few followers, that’s okay too. Today I am going to talk about giving. Giving in the charitable sense.
I come from the school of thought that you should do something you love, do it often and do it well. Go deep. Spend a lot of focused time on it. If you do these things, you will excel at it. If you tend to do a lot of things, they all get kind of watered down. You are okay at them but not really great. This is how I feel about donating my money and time.
When it comes to giving, I believe that everyone should donate something. It isn’t always financial. It can be time, labor, food, etc. I believe that I should choose something that is important to me. I believe that I should give often and give deep. I believe that I don’t have to scream to the world “I give my money to ________ .”
I love that you have a charity ( or in many cases, a lot of charities) that you support. I love that you are donating time and your money to help them. In fact, I love it so much that I’m not going to ask you to support my charity with your money. I’d rather you give more of your money to the charity that means the most to you. Donate often and donate more.
What would happen if we all adopted this practice? Would you feel that you were helping your cause more and annoying your pals less?
I just thought I’d throw that out there.
Rob Byrd
June 20, 2013I’ve never thought of giving from that perspective. I’m not sure if I totally agree with it, but I think I lean in your direction. I’ve managed 8 different Hibbett Sports retail outlets in 3 different markets and in each store I receive at least 4 requests a month for a donation from different organizations. It’s frustrating because I want to help, but since it goes against corporate policy, I can’t; additionally, our little 6k square foot store would go broke if we answered each call. Thank you, as always, for making me thinking and helping me become a better person.
P.S. It’ll take a helluva lot more than that to lose me as a follower!!
Cassie
June 20, 2013Don’t get me started on the Mean Mommy Mafia who harass small businesses to donate. They basically threaten you to do so. I have seen a few business in my area get harassed over the years for not donating.
Thanks for commenting Rob!
Rick O
June 20, 2013What a concept. I do a lot of running events [some people call them races but I am not built for racing 😉 ] and many offer the opportunity to fund raise. While I am not against the idea I do get asked to give very often. I am a big boy now and my therapist says that it is okay that I cannot help everyone … but there was a time when I felt badly about not being able to give enough to everyone.
This year I registered to raise funds for my local hospital … first time in 10 years. I sent out exactly 2 emails to my friends. The first to inform them I was doing it & why. The second a week before the event. Six people donated – 5 if you don’t count the fact that I made the first donation. And I am good with that … because the ones who gave gave what they could.
Cassie
June 20, 2013Hi Rick and thank you for reading and taking the time to reply!
With the popularity of social media and the ability to just put requests for donations up over and over, I find that I am always letting someone down. I like to hear about what people do and who they do it for. It is a great way to become educated about different things that I may not have known existed (rare diseases). Who knows? Maybe I’ll hear about one that strikes a chord with me and I will be inspired to give often and give deeply.
Kim
June 22, 2013I love your honesty, Cassie. I don’t mind when people ask for donations or support for a cause they love, as long as they are OK with a no. The same goes for religion or politics. But there definitely comes a point (generally after the 2nd go-around) where enough is enough.
On the other hand, through this method, some people have introduced me to wonderful organizations I now love and support. However, it wasn’t through harassment, 20 emails, or knocking on my door on Saturday morning. (I would love to see certain religious groups conversion rates)
Cassie
June 23, 2013Hi Kim!!!
Thank you for taking the time to read and comment. I know that you give often and give deep. You also do it in a way to shed light on what you care about to educate the rest of us.
Cassie