A Time for Giving…
It is the week of Thanksgiving. A day we take stock in the blessings in our lives and all we have to be thankful for. But after “Thanks” it’s really the “giving” that matters and here are some easy ways you can.
Globally this has been quite a year, there are few who don’t know someone impacted by at least one of the natural disasters that have hit us, with thousands still needing assistance. It’s been another year of birthdays, anniversaries, weddings and unfortunately, funerals…but as we learned in The Lion King, the Circle of Life goes on and so does the economy. Through it all, our US economy has been on a tear this past year and some models are predicting it may only be getting stronger. We should be both encouraged and thankful for that.
Last year we challenged you with an Exercise in Gratitude to give thanks to friends and family over the Thanksgiving Holiday (actually you can do that exercise more than once a year!). If you missed it, click on the hyperlink above and give it a try. It is guaranteed to pull something good out of everyone in the room.
This year we are challenging you to participate in some forms of giving that are directed outward. There are numerous organizations that need help. Not only financial (treasure) help, there are also hundreds of opportunities to give your time and talent. You often hear volunteer organizations refer to them as Time, Talent, and Treasure. All three are very important.
“For it is in giving that we receive.” St. Francis of Assisi
Time and Talent: Every weekend there are countless opportunities to donate time and talent to your community. Places to start might be your local church or community center. A great website that will let you drill down to specific areas of volunteer opportunities is VolunteerMatch.org. This site allows you to select categories such as Animals, Youth, Tech, Seniors, and so on. These can be great team building events for your entire company to get involved with. In business we are always concerned about the return on investment (ROI), there are few things in life that provide a greater ROI than volunteering.
Treasure: America is the most philanthropic country on earth. As a percent of GDP, the USA was nearly double the next closest country. We can debate that we should be since we are also one of the wealthiest nations, but at the end of the day, as a country, we are making a choice to give. One of the reasons financial donations are effective in the US is because technology has made it easier than ever to give. It is so easy to round up to the next nearest dollar at a checkout line, text a number and instantly donate $10 without getting off the couch, or set up auto-debits to support a child in need.
With treasure in mind, we would like to remind you to earmark a few dollars for #GivingTuesday on Nov. 28th. It is a great way to do something worthwhile with all the money you saved on deals during Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday! The site makes it easy to choose a local charity.
As always, this Thanksgiving we would like to thank all of our Aspire Clients for allowing us to be a part of your business. It is awesome to see what you can do when we work together on your business. A special thank you to our business partners, our families, and our friends. We know that all of you make us better people.
What about you? Do you have a favorite charity? Here’s my favorite. 😉 Has your company committed to a charity or offered to match employee donations? We would love to hear your comments in the space below. Happy Thanksgiving!
Chris Steinlage Kansas City Business Coach