If You Can Read This, You Can Donate To Charity

Posted in Life on September 12th, 2012

The past week I’ve made a few charitable donations. I’m not wealthy by any stretch of the imagination, but since I’m arrogant enough to call myself a “budding philanthropist” in my bio, I need to back that up once in a while. I also felt that I should try and empower the five of you reading this blog to give back as well. So here’s my case to you, to donate.

It Doesn’t Take Much To Make an Impact

There is always someone worse off than you. Don’t forget this. No matter how shitty your apartment is, now matter how crappy your paycheck is, there will always be someone who doesn’t have either of those things. I know that’s a dick thing to say, but it’s true. We take basic necessities for granted because we focus on what luxuries we don’t have. I know I do. My bathroom counter has an electric toothbrush, toothpaste, mouthwash, whitening mouthwash, deodorant, and four bottles of lotion (Let’s skip the masturbation jokes, too easy). I have a drawer with extra toothbrushes and somewhere around there is a roll of floss. Point being, I hardly think twice about toiletries. I have an abundance. You probably do too. You don’t have to be Scrooge McDuck to donate $10 worth of toiletries.

Don’t Let Six Idiots Outdo You

When I proclaim myself to be a “budding philanthropist” it’s because five of my buddies and I give out a $500 scholarship every year. I’ve mentioned this before haven’t I? Well, I’m proud of this. There aren’t too many groups of friends our age doing this. I know $500 isn’t going to cover much, but every dollar counts at school. The goal is to one day distribute more scholarship money. I hope that one day we can offer full ride scholarships, but that’s years down the road. In the mean time, my idiot friends and I are going to make a dent in someone’s college bill and spread the word about giving back. If we can put together a scholarship, build a website, and market the scholarship, you can send a $20 check bi-annually.

You Can Change Lives Overseas

Donating locally is great. But there are other channels to donate internationally. When I lived in Thailand, I ate every meal from tiny, old women on street corners. They’d make me dinner and send me off with my food in a bag. Very simple, but delicious. I don’t know how I would have eaten that entire year if it wasn’t for these women (I didn’t have a kitchen). So I like to donate to women in developing countries trying to start small businesses – like the ones that fed me in Thailand – through Kiva. To date, I’ve made five donations of $25 to women in countries like Mali, Cambodia, Nicaragua, and Philippines. Three have paid back their loan, while the other two are recent donations. I’m a huge supporter of Kiva, so if you’re interested in donating, let me know. I’ll send you an invite and we’ll both get $25 to lend. Free money!

$0 Can Make a Difference

If you are one of the rare people who have time to give or are willing to make time, I highly suggest you volunteer. It doesn’t cost you any money, but does wonders. Often times non-profits don’t have any money but since they’re doing such noble work, they have a great demand for their services. Volunteering helps alleviate full-time workers’ time from menial tasks, so they can focus on larger organizational tasks.

To be honest, I don’t really care if your donation isn’t completely altruistic. I just think everyone should donate from time to time, no matter the motivation. I know I don’t want to do the work that these organizations are doing. So I help out how I can, which usually means a small donation. You’d be surprised how far $10-$20 can go. If anything that I’ve said has resonated with you, would you please do me a favor? Please help St. Joseph Center’s Homeless Service Center in Venice, California. They need some basic necessities for the homeless that they serve. I’m talking about socks, underwear, toothbrushes, etc. Instead of buying that pitcher of beer this weekend, donate to the Homeless Service Center.