Find Your Inner Philanthropist: How to Choose the Right Charity for You
This month's theme is all about contributing to society. One way to do this is by donating your time or money to a charity, non-profit organization, or cause that is important to you. But with so many options available, it can be difficult to choose just one. This week, I will walk through a few ideas to help you get started!
I was pondering the following question on Saturday night, "If I had $1,000 to give away or an equivalent amount of time, what charity, non-profit organization, or cause would I want to support?" At least for myself, this was not an easy question to answer. Did I want to look locally, nationally, or internationally? Do I look at how much of the funds actually go to the people or cause? How much involvement do I want to have with my donation: do I want to simply write a check, or do I want to be more involved? Should it relate to my purpose? To really start exploring these questions, I wanted to share a few ideas:
1) Consider taking on a parallel career (coined by Peter F Drucker) where you give another 10 hours of your week to a non-profit organization. Life expectancy's are at an all time high and continue to rise with scientific advancements, and better access to healthcare. This means that you may have nearly another quarter of your life after you retire. Getting involved now is a great way to begin pursuing a passion that you may dedicate even more time to once you retire.
2) Utilize your higher education degree(s), current career, or past experiences when identifying a way to get involved. Utilize the skill set that you have worked so hard to cultivate. These are your gifts that help you not only support yourself and your family, but that you can also translate to real value for a non-profit or charity. My aunt, for instance, worked as a CPA in her career. Since retirement, she has been part of a community organization that helps low-income families with their taxes. It's a great way for her to use her gifts that truly benefit her community.
3) Many businesses give employees a day to volunteer their time. If you want to check out different places in your area, use this link. This has a lot of different types of opportunities including serving on a board, driving, going to sit with people, fostering animals, and writing letters just to name a few. It's a good one stop place, rather than going to each site one by one.
Choosing a charity, non-profit organization, or cause to support doesn't have to be an overwhelming decision. By utilizing some of your time, gifts, and resources, you can make a real difference in the world around you! It's a great way to boost your social connectedness too. What are some ways that you like to get involved? Let me know in the comments below!