Philanthropy

It is going to take all of us to make a lasting impact on the issues you have taken on in your project. In your work, you may encounter people who say “What do I possibly have to give to this cause?” You may even feel this way sometimes yourself. The answer is there is always something you can give. In fact, it takes different gifts at different times to achieve your goal. These “gifts” fit into three categories.

Time

Time is a gift you have already started giving by going through this guide. The time it takes to organize your friends, make flyers, and gather signatures – it’s a precious resource. You are making a powerful statement by choosing to give your time to the project you have taken on. There are countless things you could be doing, but you are doing this. You could also give your time to performing “direct service” like volunteering for an organization. Time is always appreciated. Time is always needed.

Talent

This is the gift most often overlooked. The trick is to identify your own talents and match them to what is needed in addressing global issues.

For example, you may be able to draw really well. Why not lend that talent to creating a poster for the next Global Action Club event? Do you know someone who is a very skilled public speaker? Recruit him or her to join your next meeting. When you put together a talent show at your school to raise money for a project, think of all of the amazing people you know who can sing, dance, act…

Don’t forget the talents that often go unnoticed. Are you talented at being organized? Planning events? Hosting parties? Making charts? Believe it or not, all of these are needed to tackle the global challenges.

“Treasures” is another way of saying money or things that can be given to the project. It doesn’t necessarily mean what’s in your own pocket, either. It is a way of recognizing that any movement takes things and money to get it off the ground. Who could you convince to support you in this way? One Global Action member had a friend who had a parent who worked at a fabric store. That fabric store donated yards of red ribbon to be sold at an event. It raised the group over $100.

It is really easy to think of raising money as “too hard” or “uncomfortable.” But anyone who ever made significant change had to learn how to transfer resources to where they were needed.