Give a Little, Get a Lot
Posted by John Draper | Filed under Good ideas, Life Lessons
The Muslims call it Zakah. The Jews call it Tzedakah. And the word “charity” comes from the French root “caritas” which means “Christian love”. Around the world, people give of their money, of their possessions and of their time to help those who are less fortunate.
Causes abound, from the preservation of land and species, to myriad health-related foundations, to the rights and freedom of men and women around the world. Most religions require the act of selfless sharing as part of an individual’s ethical obligation to help people who are less fortunate. Beyond traditional religions — beyond religion completely — people give to preserve their culture, their children’s future and the world’s resources.
Under Jewish and Muslim law, there are very specific requirements for sharing. While Christians have no specific law that demands an act of charity, teachings about charity abound in the New Testament, and tithing is common among many Christian groups.
Muslims calculate their own Zakah individually, paying one-fortieth of their capital (excluding their houses, cars and tools) on an annual basis. But giving isn’t restricted to Zakah, for a Muslim may also give as much as he or she wishes as Sadaqa-h, or voluntary charity. Tzedakah is one of Judaism’s must basic value concepts and every Jew is required to give Tzedakah, even the most needy. There are a variety of levels of giving ranging from giving all that the poor man needs to one-fifth of one’s salary. If he or she cannot give one-fifth, then he or she should give one-tenth. Christianity, too, has guidelines for giving: gifts should be proportional to one’s income, consistent, sacrificial and cheerful.
If you are not bound by religious law or committed to formal tithing, the decision of how much to give can be a difficult one. With disposable incomes falling, expenses rising, and uncertainty a way of life, one oft-expressed sentiment remains, “I’ll give once I’m sure I have enough.”
How much, then, is enough? When is the safety net big enough to allow us to share with those who need help? And how much is enough when it comes to sharing?
Perhaps the simplest answer is to give as much as you can, to share your good fortune with others willingly, and to offer to give up something that is simply a “nice to have” to provide someone else with a “must have”. The whole point of sharing, after all, is to recognize that the most basic needs of others must be met, and that as part of the family of man we each play a part in meeting those needs.
Giving recognizes that there is someone who is less fortunate than we are. It’s one part counting our blessings and one part social responsibility. To not share is the most selfish and self-centered act, for it states quite plainly that we believe we are the only ones deserving of our bounty.
If we begin our philanthropy early in life, the single amount that we give is not as important for we have put time on our side in terms of sharing our good luck. And if we focus our gifts, rather than reactively scattering them, our gifts will not only have more impact, they will be fore satisfying for us. Find a cause that you are passionate about, and make it as important to you as your own child. It is, after all, an investment in the future of your child’s world.
Think about ways in which you can leverage your gift. By combining small amounts with others you can offer a pooled gift that may make a big difference. By challenging others to support causes you consider important, you may involve people who would never have considered giving.
One of the most important gifts you can give is to teach your own children to share. Both my kids put five percent of their allowance toward sharing each week. They know that money is for those people who aren’t as lucky.
Not all of us can afford to give financial gifts. I work with fams who are deeply in debt and have to find another way to share. It’s not that hard. We all have other gifts to share: our skills, our time, our good will.
For those of us who can afford to give a financial gift, we must consider carefully how we arrived at our gift amount. If the gift causes no pause to think, we probably haven’t shared enough of what we have. As Winston Churchill said, “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”
June 20, 2008 at 8:53 am
beautifully put, gail – thank you for writing this lovely post. it is amazing what we get when we give: the kind of happiness that often otherwise eludes us in this frenetic and disconnected society. ‘givers’ are among the happiest people around us.. http://www.cbc.ca/consumer/story/2008/03/20/happiness-money.html
June 20, 2008 at 9:58 am
Bravo Gail! Another fabulous blog that has really touched me!
I am Muslim and Zakah {and Sadaka and other forms of charity which are voluntary} applies to me, so thank you for educating everyone on this topic.
I must say though that Zakah applies only after you have collected a certain amount of wealth. If you are below that ‘wealth line’ you do not pay Zakah. I just wanted to point this out, because I don’t want anyone to think that Zakah has to be paid even if you are struggling yourself.
Also, Zakah is paid after you have paid off your financial obligations like bills, mortgage, food and clothing, etc etc – everything has to be paid off, and the rest of the money has to be sitting there for one year not used, that Zakah will apply to it. It is very fulfilling to know that this money will be used to help the less fortunate, therefore creating a better community.
And I agree with you – it is not only money that can be given in Charity, you can give your time, talents, etc. I love to knit, but I don’t need 73 winter hats for myself, so I will knit and donate to the salvation army and other charities who are always happy to receive any kind of donation.
It is very strange – giving fills my heart with fulfilment and joy and just knowing that a child will be warm in my hand knit hat that winter, just makes it worth living and sharing.
Thank you, thank you, thank you Gail! You rock lady! And you will be VERY missed!! Can’t wait to read your blog on the 27th June!
June 20, 2008 at 4:37 pm
I’ve learned to love giving. The trick is to find something that means most to you – for me it’s the Humane Society. I volunteer twice a month for their Bingoes, monthly for the dog washes and have just been elected to the Board of Directors so I can have more involvement at a higher level to ensure the good work continues.
Growing up my parents donated to the church, but it wasn’t something that we ever talked about or that was expected or encouraged. My mother is involved with the Cancer Society, but my love is for animals, so I found what works best for me and offer what I can. Like NKM said, giving really does make you feel good.
Already miss you Gail and really looking forward to your post on the 27th!
Regardless of how much you can give or do, it really means so much to whichever charity you choose to support.
June 20, 2008 at 8:25 pm
I donate a small amount of money each pay through my payroll deduction to a community fund. It feels good to know at the end of the year that all those small donations really added up to something.
I cannot afford to give large amounts, so I have picked a cause and have fundraised for it each year. It’s been a lot of work, but very rewarding.
My friend & I are participating in a large fundraising event this year, and to help us reach our goal, we have held several bake sales. We are both lucky to be very good bakers and we have been very fruitful with our bake sales.
Our employer also encourages employees to volunteer and to be active in the community. Recently we collected used books and magazines from our office’s employees (there are over 300 of us) and my team held a used book sale for the public. We raised $291 and our company will match what we raised. We are very excited that we will be able to donate $582 plus some books to a local literacy group.
I really look forward to teaching my son to help others are he grows. It has been very rewarding for me. I wish I had more free time to volunteer, but with a 2 yr old it’s not so easy right now.
June 21, 2008 at 2:04 am
Its like you read my mind! For the last few months (only 3) i’ve constantly been saying, I really want to donate some money. Time is limited, funds I can part with now.
I have so many charities I’m interested in giving to, and even hope to one day budget to adopt a child. But i keep putting it off. I keep saying, I’ll wait til the end of the month when all my savings are in THEN i’ll distribute some to charities. And even though I have enough in my emergency fund to cover the ca-ca when it hits the fan, I’m scared it wont be enough. (My situation is a lot like Lauren’s from the Your Questions section of Gail’s webby)
(Btw thats happening as we speak… mayday mayday the ca-ca has hit the fan!!!)
What I’ve realized is: No matter what way I slice it, I will always have enough. Because I have more than most. A secure job (which I’m hoping to advance in the next month) a roof over my head, and food in my belly.
So as my pledge to Gail: (i’m dying of laughter btw and I have a loud cackle just like my mum) I’m going to look for the charity closest to my heart to give to first. and no longer put something so important off.
June 21, 2008 at 10:21 am
As a mom of two young girls, I want them to grow up wanting to help others and not be selfish. Part of my 6 year old daughter’s allowance goes to a charity fund (we split it between savings, charity and “mad money”). I haven’t started my 4 year old’s allowance yet – that will start when she starts JK. Next weekend is my oldest’s 7th birthday and she is having a party. She has a lot of toys and stuff already, so I suggested to her that we ask her guests to get her a small gift (small book or craft items), and the bulk of their money should go to food bank donations. All her guests are asked to bring food for the local food bank. She loved the idea. She says herself that she is fortunate to have a lot, and wants to help out others who don’t have as much. We will take a picture of all her guests with the food basket, and we will take it to the food bank – along with the picture and a card signed by all the guests. This will also show the other kids that you don’t always have to have gifts to enjoy your birthday and you can still feel great by donating to others.
Will miss your blogs too – see you back on the 27th!