The Generosity Plan by Kathy LeMay

Author:Kathy LeMay
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: ATRIA PAPERBACK
Published: 2009-07-15T00:00:00+00:00

Doug

Doug is twenty-five years old and has been married less than a year. He holds down two jobs and takes a night class every semester, beginning his days at 5 AM and ending them at 11 PM. He takes time off on Sundays to spend with his spouse, rest and recuperate, and prepare himself for another back-to-back week.

What if you, like Doug, worked two jobs, took classes toward your degree, and were married or divorced with children? How would you give your time if you had so little to spare? Would you forego volunteering altogether?

Giving back is important to Doug. He generously contributes 8 percent of his total earnings to his extended family and to local nonprofits helping those in need.

Growing up, Doug went to a community center three days a week after school. He swam, played baseball, and worked on his homework until his mother picked him up. He fondly remembers the staff and coaches who were there for him. They tutored Doug, taught him to excel in sports, and built his confidence. His plan had always been to volunteer as a tutor or coach at a community center, but his family members told him he had too much going on already. He was burning the candle at both ends, they said.

But, Doug felt strongly about giving his time. He felt if he didn’t find a way to make it work then, he would always find a reason why he couldn’t fit it into this life. So he started by looking at how he spent his days: work, school, and family. When he broke down how he spent his time, he realized that he could possibly support a fellow student in his business finance class. He was doing well in the class. Because of his proficiency, he could be a guide to someone who might be having a difficult time.

He approached the instructor and offered to tutor a student for two hours after class each week. The professor told him he would survey the class to see if there were any takers. While none of the students took him up on the offer, the instructor remembered a student who wanted to take the class but felt the subject matter was too tough for him. He had asked the professor if he could audit the class and had come twice, but he felt intimidated and wasn’t sure he’d return. The instructor asked Doug if he’d be interested in working with this student to help ready him for the class the following semester. Doug did just that.

For eight weeks, Doug worked with Jim for two hours after class. While Doug completed the homework, he walked Jim through his thinking. He shared which business finance practices he applied to a problem and why, how he solved the problem of the entrepreneur who couldn’t maintain steady cash flow, and the ins and outs of a profit-and-loss sheet.

Eight weeks of weekly two-hour tutoring sessions was just the support Jim needed to enroll in the class the following semester.

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.