I will continue with "101 ways (almost) anyone can give back" soon, but for now, a quick post on 5 questions to ask yourself about giving to help you give well.
What is giving well? Anyone can give willy-nilly. You can give away more money than you have (and then some) if you'd like. But giving well suggests it has certain effect that you intend. The effect of giving is two-fold: the effect it has on you, the giver, and the effect on the receiver.
You should feel great about the gift - you should know that you've given it to the right place to accomplish what you want it to accomplish. And the receiver should feel great too, knowing that the gift will help them accomplish their mission, and that it has come from a donor that really cares - not one that felt bad enough for them to write a check. (Secretly, I hate the word "charity" because it makes non-profits seem pitiable rather than empowered organizations charged with facilitating good, but that's a blog post for another day.)
So what 5 questions can you ask that can help you take charge of your giving and move it towards achieving the effects that you plan on?
1. What do I care about? Think about your passions, whether easily related to charity (kids) or not (pancakes) and figure out the bridge between that thing and charity. Refine it as much as you can. Is it kids with cancer that you care about? Homeless kids? Or is it using a pancake breakfast to bring families together on Saturday morning to reinforce family values? Whatever your passion, there's probably a way to connect it with a non-profit and that connection is a great start to feel good about your giving.
If you decide you care about homeless kids, what is it exactly that you'd like to see done? Do you want to house them? Or do you want to make sure they can go to school? Do you want to create a place where they can play with other kids safely? Think about the specific mission you'd like to help with.
2. Where do I want to see my gift at work? Is there a part of the world that you care most about? It may be your community, it may be somewhere that was hit by a natural disaster, or maybe a developing nation. Given what you care about, is there a natural connection to where you could give?
3. How do I believe my goals should be accomplished? How do organizations go about achieving the mission you have defined above? If you have decided that your passion is housing homeless kids, you may find the HOW has many different possible answers. For example, one organization may focus on providing money for rent for families that might become homeless (prevention) while another organization might look at domestic violence. What aspect of HOW to help appeals to you? You can also keep asking how - how should domestic violence be addressed? Is it education, support, or something else? Refine your idea until it feels right to you.
4. When do I want to see the impact of my gift? Some gifts have an immediate impact, such as handing money to someone on the street. Others take time to do their work, such as investing in a new building for an after-school program or a scholarship fund. You can consider how immediate the impact needs to be for the what, where and how you have decided on.
5. Who should I donate to or volunteer for? Most people who give jump immediately to answering this question without considering the other four. Answering this question well is work on it's own, but while your dollar or time investment may be the same as it would be if you had taken the time to answer the other questions, the satisfaction you get from giving your time and money will be less. Think about it: Would you be more satisfied to just write a check to the next organization that solicits you, or would you feel better knowing that you sought out an organization that does work that is truly in line with your own values and sense of how to make the world a better place?
When you have answered the first four questions, you are prepared to answer WHO. You know what WHO does, so your task is to find them. Once you have, you can check them out using various websites designed to rate charities, such as charitynavigator.com or guidestar.com.
The experience of giving should leave you inspired and excited. No matter how much or little you have to give, if you give at all you should do it well. You work hard for your money and giving it poorly won't create the positive impacts that giving well can. Now for my shameless plug: You can answer these questions for yourself, but if you or your business would like me to coach you through this process as well as the rest of my program, I would be happy to help and expect you to be thrilled with the results!
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