The Gift that Keeps on Giving

For me to give a gift of money, I need to be inspired by something that is important to me. For instance, my dad had age onset diabetes, so I typically give to the American Diabetes Association. I gave money to the new women’s homeless shelter because women that I know, or even I, could need shelter if something catastrophic happened.

Each year, Tim and I create a list of charities that are important to us. On average each year, most people donate to between 7-10 charities and don’t vary it much from year to year. Our list is somewhat longer than the average, because we give to 12-15 nonprofits. This year we decided we would not donate to as many of the same ones, but choose new ones or give more to the existing ones.

Several weeks ago I gave a one-time gift to a new nonprofit that inspired me by the good works that they were doing. As I continued to follow their progress, I contemplated giving more to them, but did not take action towards it. Then a thoughtful, handwritten thank-you note appeared in my mailbox that inspired me to want to be a part of their progress over the next year.

Today’s gift is a recurring monthly gift for the next year to this worthy cause. It will be a gift that gives me inspiration throughout the upcoming year because of the meaningful work they do.

In Giving,

Robin