How I Define Giving on World Give Day

This post is part of a blog series inspired by World Give Day and hosted by GiveForward and Jolkona. To find other posts in this series please visit www.worldgiveday.com or follow the hashtag #giveday.

I am part of an amazing group of 20- and 30-somethings who are changing the world. It’s a movement that the media is trying to capture but something that is built within the DNA of the majority of people I know. No, we don’t all work for nonprofits or social enterprises, but there’s a strong need to dedicate our lives, our passions, and our careers to doing “good.”

You all know what this means for me as I’ve written about my adventures in philanthropy multiple times. But it goes beyond dedicating my time to a startup nonprofit, it’s about knowing that the work that motivates and drives me tracks towards something that is larger than myself. And my direct relationship with giving has fallen into one of three categories: I give my time, my money, and myself.

I give time – to help build organizations and to cultivate the next generation of philanthropists.

I give money – in small amounts for causes I’m passionate about like providing healthcare for mothers and newborns in India and when disaster strikes and money is the most effective way that I can help.

I give myself – to people I care about to help them create and ignite projects that they’re passionate about. I also give a shoulder or an ear when needed. I strategize over coffee instead of networking at parties. I am there when the people in my life need me.

This is how I make an impact and give.

Small donations are the backbone of philanthropy

I’m going to borrow the definition of Jolkona, which is a Bengali word that means, “drop of water.” It represents the idea that small-scale acts and donations can have a ripple effect of change.

For Jolkona, that’s an easy vision to see. With your gift to, say, ignite girls’ leadership in Pakistan, you will empower and mentor a young woman through leadership training to become an agent of change today and a leader of Pakistan tomorrow. When I was in school, I had many opportunities where I went on a leadership training that shaped how I saw the world and my role in it. Those things can leave a lasting impression on a person and challenge them to greatness. By supporting a project like that one through Jolkona, can you imagine the opportunity that you will create for one girl?

By giving one small donation for less than $100, I can make a huge impact in the world. And while I’m not at the place in my life where I can make a ton of these contributions every day, I can make small ones every so often and together, they’ll add up to something big.

World Give Day blog series

Today, I’m proud to be a part of World Give Day, a day to encourage people to give – whether it’s by making a donation, through their time, or even a simple hug. I am excited that Jolkona is a partner and that many of our friends are celebrating by writing blogs dedicated to the theme of giving:

• It Doesn’t Take a Lot to Make a Difference by Melissa Kowalchuk on Melissa Kowalchuk
• Giving (and Receiving) by Chi Do on A New Beginning
• World Give Day by Lindsey Tramuta on Lost in Cheeseland
• World Give Day by Sam Davidson on Cool People Care
• World Give Day, and Small Scale Donors by Shanley Knox on Voye’m
• Create a Ripple Effect of Change on World Give Day by yours truly on Jolkona’s Blog
• What Gives? by Melinda Moseler on Melinda Sue
• Free Hugs on World Give Day (and Every Other Day) by Nikita Mitchell on Journeyful Life
• More to be added throughout the day!

You can read more posts from World Give Day Blogger Buddies, here. Meanwhile, I need to decide how I will celebrate giving today.

How do you define giving? What can you give of yourself that will make someone else’s life a little bit richer?

Thank you, Ethan, Desiree, and Cate at GiveForward for organizing World Give Day!

Photo by: Stuck in Customs