Giving gives energy

I'm feeling drained.

Not in a bad way, in a good way.

Where you have been productive, accomplished much but the adrenaline is fading.

The 12 hour Netflix binge from last week has wore off.

Needing a boost to get me through the next 45 min, I remembered that its the end of the month so its my donation week. This month is the AIDS quilt. A quick trip online and a few moments latter, donation made and energy levels lifted.

Off to a final push of things before I am done for the day.

Day 6 #7DaysOfSocialMediaVulnerabilityChallenge2017

I spent so many years with just enough income to be OK. It has only been in the past few years that we have started to have enough that we are in a place to give back. As I shared yesterday I love to plan. This past year we had a charitable giving focus on non profits that were doing positive work in water system clean up and preservation. See my blog post from last year if you want to learn more http://surrealvolunteering.blogspot.com/2017/01/middle-class-donation-2017-guide.html

In 2018 I think our society needs to foster places of honesty and dissent. Telling stories that are not click generators but hold truth. This year I have selected the following four places that we will donate to. 

National Public Radio-  a big player in the media space. . https://www.npr.org/ I listen to them almost daily and while they lean left, I hear voices from both sides and stories that are followed because they are important not because they have funding tied to them.

The Stillwater Current - a small voice in the media space.  http://www.stillwatercurrent.com/ Local independent news is going away. Helping keep locally owned voices is important. I grew up in Minnesota and am excited to support news in my home state.

AIDS quilt: http://www.aidsquilt.org/ AIDS remains taboo across our society while it continues to impact those we love. This project helps raise awareness and helps keep the conversation moving forward.

Fourth this year is going to be helping fund high school art teacher projects via Donors Choose. The first project we will be supporting is this one: https://www.donorschoose.org/project/block-printmaking-art-ernative/2773345/ Art is a path to understanding, conversation and expression. Giving students resources to help explore their thoughts is critical as we see our freedom of expression being questioned.

We have at this point established a few ongoing charities that we support

Goodwill industries – The method of used items to create employment opportunity model gives so many a chance for employment who would otherwise fall through the cracks. We support them through routine donation of used items.

Big Brothers Big Sisters – I have been volunteering with them for over a year and expect to continue that into 2018. I support their various fundraising events (5k’s and restaurant give back nights) 

The United Way -  This is an opportunity to touch many non-profits in a collective community approach. 

The American Red Cross - This cornerstone of the American nonprofit landscape needs our support year round.

Rotary - I am active with the local Rotary, my club has a monthly monetary donation in support of the local food bank, thus through my rotary contributions I will be supporting both Rotary and the Food Bank.

A few things to note about this strategy.

1.    While this sounds like a lot, we break it down where different organizations get donations on different months helping keep to our budget. – I set calendar reminders to help me remember who I have slated to donate to each month (Did I mention I love to plan).

2.    The total that we plane to give across these is less than $2,000.

3.    I attempt to amplify my gift by following social media accounts and sharing twitter updates when I donate.

4.    We rarely if ever give to spontaneous asks such as at the supermarket or our workplace, this helps keep us focused and on budget while we donate to causes that help our society. 

Middle Class and Donations

With over a decade working in the non profit sector my souse and I have recently cross the threshold into middle class. We still have debt, both of us work full time jobs and we pay rent. But now see our bank accounts growing a clear sign that its our opportunity to start to support our community.

Prior to this year finical donations were not a possibility, our give back to the community was the work we did as non profit employees sprinkled in with volunteer days and of course the routine donation of used items that we gave to Salvation Army and Goodwill.


Now that we have crossed the threshold to Middle Class life making donations was clearly going to be part of our new life.

So during year one of entering into the finical donors realm who did we give to?

- Big Brothers, Big Sisters - Both of us have signed up to be bigs with this organization and recently attend a restaurant give back night benefiting the organization.

- The United Way - In my new position it is an unwritten expectation that I will donate to the United Way, who in turn gives a significant amount back to my organization.

- The American Red Cross - This cornerstone of the american non profit landscape needs our support. This year we attended a restaurant give back night benefiting the ARC.

- Innocence project of Texas - After reading Orange is the New Black,  I knew I wanted to do a small part to help change our penal system. I was excited to find this project that had strong ties to the community we are living in.

- Pet Smart animal shelter program - we were guilted into purchasing a few cans of cat and dog food during a routine trip to stock up on supplies for our kitty.

- Covenant Health Systems - To help with a capitol campagin and Ian wanted a T-shirt.

- Rotary - I have joined the local Rotary, my club has a monthly monetary donation in support of the local food bank.

As the holiday season approaches I would not be surprised if we find ourselves giving to a few additional programs who make appeals that speak to us.

We enjoy donating and as we enter into our second year of middle class life we might start to think about a strategic giving pattern ones that are in line with our core beliefs, are well rated on charity navigator and will increase our personal brand across our community, but for the next 5 months impulse giving is fulfilling our philanthropic interests.