We make a living by what we get,
but we make a life by what we give.
Winston Churchill.
Many people echo the sentiments of Winston Churchill that it is nobler to give than to receive. Then why is the act of giving so hard? The tradition of tithing was established in the West in which you donate 10 percent of your annual income to a church, either voluntarily or as a tax. The internal logic was that it would be used for good works, and return to you many-fold.
Although there are many ways of giving available to us today, a number of factors make it an uneasy choice.
A Challenge to Choose
It isn’t easy to share when you have a scarcity mentality. As a child, I remember fighting with my brother over who would get the leftover piece of cake. My father made it a fair contest by saying that one gets to cut the cake, and the other one gets to choose. No matter how carefully you cut, it always felt like you got the smaller piece.
The scarcity mentality says, feed yourself first, and later finds little to spare. Even if you are generous and have the capacity to give, it is hard to know how to give effectively. Though you feel better when you help someone in need, there are limits on what you can actually give, and far more people in need than you could ever reach.
It is a challenge to choose among the huge variety of options for giving. Beyond that, how do people know that the money is being used effectively? How much of it goes to administration? How much is lost to poor management?
The Mirror of Motivation
To make a meaningful difference, you need to focus your philanthropy. And without a compelling story, simply giving to charity is about as inspiring as doing your duty.
On the other hand once we find a meaningful way to give that is easy we feel so much better.
Doing ‘Buy-One-Give-One’ Together
Many businesses are finding that Buy One Give One giving is a perfect way to give in so many ways.
Some businesses feel that it is better to do their own thing and while this is a perfect choice it is not the path of least resistance because at the end of the day a businesses focus is on what it does best – business and it’s choice to give should not add to the workload. Buy1GIVE1 is a growing global community of like-minded business people coming together with a common purpose – to give. So why would anyone do it on their own when it is so easy and so much more effective to do it together.
www.b1g1.com is a perfect way to give – it’s simple, effective and above all cost effective and powerful. Visit today to learn more.
