How to Be an Everyday Philanthropist by Nicole Boles

Author:Nicole Boles
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Workman Publishing Company
Published: 2009-09-11T16:00:00+00:00

7

USE YOUR Time

“God and angels don’t get paid even though theirs is some of

the most important work around. Ditto for volunteers.”

—Cherishe Archer

“I don’t have time.” These words have scuttled so many would-be acts of volunteerism. And it’s not surprising. Our lives are jam-packed with commitments. Work time. Family time. Personal time. How can we squeeze in time for anything else? Besides, we think, if we don’t volunteer, someone else will. We aren’t being callous; we’re just trying to be practical in a world where everything runs at warp speed.

Yes, time is indeed a precious resource. But it’s also one of the most valuable things we have to give.

We can send charities pots of money, but if there isn’t anyone to do the work, to come face-to-face with the people in need of our help, then all the money in the world won’t solve a thing. And while I’m a big fan of random acts of kindness—feeding a stray animal, tracking down the owner of a lost wallet—our acts need to be a little less random and a lot more involved.

When you volunteer, you see the challenges organizations face firsthand, you work with the people running these organizations, and you may even meet the people they serve. Their challenges become your challenges—and that’s a good thing. Because engaging with an issue is a lot more productive than worrying about it. And serving people directly is a lot more rewarding than helping from a distance. In other words, sometimes the best way to give back is to roll up your sleeves and dig in.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.