Giving money to charities and causes

Recently, a friend and I had a conversation about “giving back” and donations.  We both felt like we weren’t giving enough.  Personally, I donate to an animal shelter as payment of utang na loob for the people who built it – they were good to me in hard times.  But apart from that, I do nothing, even if I really wanted to.  I don’t know if it was the busy-ness of work, but I haven’t thought about volunteering or making additional donations in months.

I also realized that in Frugal Pinoy I often talk about saving and earning money, and never about giving it away.

It’s about time that I did.  Starting next month, I’ll be donating to some causes I believe in (I’ve already included it in the budget), and actively search for volunteering opportunities as well.  However, I won’t be disclosing how much or to what causes I donate to, but I imagine I’ll be able to talk about the volunteering.

Also, if you have your own stories about volunteering or donating, please share them with us.

Why giving back is important to you

People often talk about how giving away donations is good for others, but that’s self-explanatory.  What’s often left out of the discussion is what good  you will get out of giving.

It gives you a feeling of abundance.  I first mentioned this in the post “Do you have what it takes to be a millionaire?”.  From that post:

Some people may have multi-millions, but if they don’t give away a single peso to anyone, for a cause larger than themselves, they probably feel cheap inside. From David Bach’s research, most multi-millionaires have one thing in common: they were giving part of their income for charitable causes, even when they weren’t wealthy yet. It’s all about the mindset rather than just the measurement of how much money you have stashed away in the bank.

It makes you happy.  Scientists found evidence that giving away money gives you more happiness compared to spending it on yourself – even if you believe otherwise.  For me, this is reason enough.  Here’s a quote from that study:

Statistical analyses revealed personal spending had no link with a person’s happiness, while spending on others and charity was significantly related to a boost in happiness.

“Regardless of how much income each person made,” Dunn said, “those who spent money on others reported greater happiness, while those who spent more on themselves did not.”

Now that we’ve looked at the benefits of giving away, it’s time to look at how to go about it…

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