Giving Back to the Community: Ideas from Mindful Millennials
“We are happier when we use our time and money to benefit other people.” That’s one big learning I took away from Professor Laurie Santos in Yale’s most popular course of all time, “The Science of Wellbeing,” (I audited the course back in 2018 and wrote two blog posts on my learnings, if you’re interested). And if the pandemic has revealed anything to me and my group of friends, it’s that our time and money is needed now more than ever for the many in this country operating with far less of it.
In the third original post of the Blue Sky Mind Friendship Series, we’ll examine the privilege many in my community are recognizing and acknowledging this year, and how they’re giving back to the community. I’m hoping that, with this post, my mindful reader community can take away more awareness of the various forms of privilege they may benefit from and use that understanding as fuel to commit to a giving plan. In turn, this plan will support our world in a time of desperate need, and can also help give you a sense of purpose, accomplishment, and connection during a deeply challenging year.
Why is it important to give back to the community?
When asked about the privilege they’d had to acknowledge or confront in 2020, my community’s response was simple and evocative of our society’s deep inequities: they were supported, insulated, and protected rom much of the suffering brought by the pandemic. All had relative struggles this year, but most recognized that their stable jobs, strong network of friends and family, relative youth, and skin color afforded them a much easier 2020 than most people in our country.
Much of my community’s sentiments and conclusions can be summed up in one simple statement from a friend excelling in the corporate world:
“[I realized] my privilege to ignore the true hurt and need in our country and world; if I do not actively seek out the right self-education, discussions, action to take, etc., it can become so easy to not pay attention to the poverty, injustice and societal problems that we are facing as a country. It is a privilege to be able to focus on my job, my friends and my family and tell myself I'm getting by when truly I have the luxury of time, money and stability that I need to be directing towards those more in need.”
Not only is giving back something of a moral imperative for those with means, it can also be a deep source of fulfillment. As one friend, who recently triumphed over a battle with mental health, put it:
“If you can do something for someone that makes their day a tiny bit better, even if it's for a fraction of a second, it's worth it. My life has meaning because I'm able to share my joy with others.”
Ideas for giving back to the community during the pandemic
In addition to asking my community about their privilege this year, I also prodded them on what they were doing to give back. Could juxtaposing questions about privilege and giving better inspire even the most mindful among us to commit to a more generous path forward? I hope so.
Donating money
Almost every single person I spoke with was donating money this year, and for good reason; a survey by the Association of Fundraising Professionals found that over half of charities are expecting a drop in donations in 2020 and beyond. Donating is easy to do, can often be matched by an employer, and is the quickest way to get critical funding in the hands of experts on the ground at various nonprofits and charitable organizations.
“I have set aside $100/mo to be given to charitable causes.” - Will, customer manager at a mid-size tech company
“So much donating! To causes supporting pandemic relief, Black Lives Matter, voting initiatives and more. I've also taken to carrying some cash with me when moving around NYC to help those in need grab something to eat.” - Jackie, recruiter at a big tech company
“I certainly donated to Equal Justice Initiative, Black Lives Matter, pandemic aid.” - Friend who wishes to remain private
“Donations, donations and more donations.” - Casey, in-house counsel at a mid-size private equity/venture capital firm
“Donations to organizations that are out helping on the front lines when I'm physically not- NAACP during the protests for bail and Feeding America which helped fund food and supplies going to kids that depended on school to get their food for the day/food shelters. Luckily my work matches donation dollars!” - Mackenzie, account manager at a big media company
“I've been tipping extra on services and being extra kind and friendly to people working service jobs. Their line of work puts them in contact with so many more people in a time where people are trying to keep themselves distanced and are scared of getting sick.” - Jenny, merchandiser at a pet fashion company
Volunteering your time
Volunteering your time can be just as impactful as donating cash, especially in a time where our elders are isolated, hunger is widespread, and our youth are facing vast economic hurdles and uncertainty. I loved hearing how my friends were working in their communities to support those in need directly:
“In April, I started volunteering with Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly. I am paired with an older adult whom I call to check in on. I've never met him in person, so it's been interesting building a relationship over the phone. He lived in San Francisco during the 60's and 70's, and he's an artist in many different ways (painting, singing, you name it, he's done it). The pandemic has been very isolating, and I'm happy there are opportunities to help elders in SF feel a little less lonely.” - Margaret, sales enablement at a mid-size health company
“I've been having calls with students that have recently graduated from my alma mater, giving them advice on job hunting, resume writing, and connecting them with anyone that I can to open any doors.” - Becca, sustainable tourism marketing at a big travel company
“Trying to be of service to people in my life who need it and I'm also doing this volunteer design project with a nonprofit through an organization called Make a Mark/FoodShift. They shifted their business model during COVID bc they used to have kitchens where they trained people to cook food; now they collect surplus food from different sources and divide it up for food banks to redistribute.” - Linda, product designer at a small tech company
“Did a big paper-bag lunch making party once and dropped it at a local food bank; working on a business that I hope to positive impact the world/my community one day by making foods/bevs more accessible for all.” - Caroline, founder of a budding water kefir company
“I've been mentoring at Braven, which is a non-profit that empowers promising underrepresented young people on a path to strong first jobs. I've worked with 10 students this past year and it was absolutely uplifting to partner on their professional growth.” - Arjun, product marketer at a big tech company
What is a giving plan?
We live in a society that glorifies philanthropy, but doesn’t do a great job teaching us how to get involved or where to focus our efforts. A giving plan can help by giving you an intentional, documented set of principles that outline how you will give your time and money to philanthropic efforts. The most important two components of your plan are:
How much you plan to give
Goodbox, a company that helps charities get set up with contactless fundraising technology, reports that recommended amounts of charitable giving range between 1 and 10% of your net income. So for someone who makes $100,000 a year and takes home roughly 65% of that, they might choose to donate approximately $50-500 per month.
Another consideration when it comes to charitable giving is tax incentive. According to North Financial Advisors, in 2019 (and likely post-pandemic), a person making $100,000 a year only has to donate $4K per year in order to get a tax deduction. In 2020, this number is much, much lower, as the government seeks to stimulate charitable giving. This year, donate just $300 for a tax deduction (make sure to save the receipts!).
If you’re wondering how much of their time philanthropic people typically donate, the average for active volunteers is about 50 hours per year or 1 hour per week, according to Nonprofit Source.
Who or what you plan to give to
The Cincinnati Foundation offers a simple guideline for determining where to direct your resources called, The 50/30/20 Rule:
“Experts recommend an annual giving plan be made with the following proportions:”
Give 50% from one’s passion, like an organization aligned with your values
Give 30% out of loyalty or obligation, like an organization you or your family benefits from
Give 20% in reaction to an unplanned request, like a fund helping people recover from a natural disaster
Let your questions and curiosity guide you
Questions you have about the world, or its inequities, or its people can help guide you in your thinking about giving back in a way that’s meaningful to you. Aligning your signature strengths and interests with a giving plan can go a long way in producing meaning, accomplishment and connection through your efforts. I loved the following musings from friends Jackie and Cecilia, respectively, on this exact topic:
“I’m thinking a lot about inequity in our society and which fixes are bandaids, and which fixes can be systematically implemented to create real change. Thinking about the time we're spending at home and how isolated our youth must feel, especially in turning to social media for "community." What will those effects be? How will we all come out of this?
I'm feeling really drawn to creating a "life-work" plan for myself. Picking a few key areas where I want to continue to commit my energy - one of them being the self-esteem in young women and girls, another being climate change - and trying to find ways outside of work or even in my career path to make sure I'm giving back. I'm thinking deeply about walking that line of giving back and allowing ourselves the freedom to play and find joy, even amongst the suffering that exists in the world.”
“Before the pandemic, I was volunteering regularly with a centre for impoverished and immigrant youths as well as participating in charity events sponsored by my work. Obviously, when lockdown began, most of these activities were put on hold.
I think working from home, and spending majority of my time at home, has made me and many of my friends much more focused on our inner selves and getting ourselves through this, versus thinking about others -- which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but definitely a shift. I wonder a lot about those kids I used to see every week. Many of their parents worked in hospitality and dropped their kids there while they worked afternoon shifts.
With hospitality closed, how has the pandemic affected their families? Will I ever see them again? How do I build a richer sense of purpose and giving back virtually?”
Don't let perfect be the enemy of good
When asked, “What are you doing to give back during the pandemic?” the single most reliable response was: “Not enough.” In fact, at least half of the friends expressed something to the tune of “I’ve come up short here” or “I’m not doing as much as I should.”
Interestingly, many of these same friends noted that they’d been donating consistently throughout the pandemic, and some had even been volunteering their time, as well. Neither of these contributions are to be diminished in value.
If all you can do right now is donate to high-impact organizations that are well-trained to do the necessary work of feeding our communities or fighting civil injustices, do that and allow yourself to envision the human being who may come to benefit from that money. Donations are not trivial, and some recent opinion pieces even implore those with privilege and means to consider donating instead of volunteering, which allows well-trained individuals to more efficiently make use of your dollars. Read this and this for additional perspective here.
Do what you can do, and seek out that which really resonates, with the goal of finding a sustainable giving plan that brings you joy and your community meaningful support. I believe people of sufficient means owe it to themselves and their communities to give back through a combination of time and money, and consistently, not just during a global pandemic. Let this post gently guide and inspire you if you have not yet begun your journey.
So, what’s your giving plan as we go into the holidays? Drop it in the comments below; I’d love to cheer you on.
A note on the art in this post:
Jenny Haught is an artist drawn to the unexpected beauty found in everyday moments. The Friendship Series inspired her to start work on a new series of paintings that explores the experiences and emotions faced during Quarantine 2020.
“This year, amidst a pandemic, people came together (with masks on) to protest the blatant systemic racism plaguing our country. I joined hundreds on the Golden Gate Bridge, uniting our voices for change. I acknowledge my white privilege and accept that to do nothing is to be complicit.”
Read more: The Friendship Series, by Blue Sky Mind