I make the choice to give to charity. I give my money and time to causes that support those less fortunate than
myself. I think it is important to give back because I can. But a growing
concern for me is the expectations of fellow charitable colleagues and acquaintances. Whilst
their efforts to raise funds are pretty amazing, I feel I am, on occasion, being pressured into donating more than I would like to for their cause.
More of my friends are taking up charitable activities, which is great. It is amazing to see more people getting involved with a cause. But it also means that I am being hit-up for more donations. Last year I was asked to sponsor close to 20 different charity fundraisers. And that is on top of the donations I made to my charities of choice. I couldn't help but feel I was being forced into parting with my money. If this continues then soon I might need a charity to house and feed me. I always make a contribution where I can. But I have found that now my charitable acquaintances expect a more generous amount because i'm in a "decent paying job," or because “we are good friends”.
More of my friends are taking up charitable activities, which is great. It is amazing to see more people getting involved with a cause. But it also means that I am being hit-up for more donations. Last year I was asked to sponsor close to 20 different charity fundraisers. And that is on top of the donations I made to my charities of choice. I couldn't help but feel I was being forced into parting with my money. If this continues then soon I might need a charity to house and feed me. I always make a contribution where I can. But I have found that now my charitable acquaintances expect a more generous amount because i'm in a "decent paying job," or because “we are good friends”.
A couple of weeks back, a friend organised a fundraiser. I had already made my donation online and was
enjoying the event when he led me to a corner and asked why I had donated
such an amount. The amount was not small by any means, but considering our (banker) mate had made a larger donations, my friend felt mine wasn't sufficient. I have to be honest, I felt very uncomfortable being asked to justify my personal choice. I explained that I had already donated to
my causes and decided to give the amount I would usually give to
other causes. The response I got was less than appreciative. I was informed
that as a friend, he expected more of me, and that maybe I ought to look at
what other people had donated. I didn't realise that donations now come with a
minimum spend.
We are in a recession and I do think charity
starts at home. But I would never stop giving to others where I can. I belive it
is one of the most important and selfless things I can do. This being said, one of my New Year’s
resolutions is to be more careful with my money. I am cutting out unnecessary
purchases and finding ways to save the pennies. I have decided to donate the
same amount I always do the charities of my choice. They mean a lot to me and I
believe they do some amazing work. I don’t push my cause onto others, because
that’s not how I chose to support them. 
And whilst everyone may not agree with
my choice, I have decided to put aside a set amount to donate to friends’
causes and fundraising efforts. Once this pot is empty, that’s it! And I will
not be moved to give more to one cause than the other, whether I’m sponsoring my best friend's climb up Mount Kilimanjaro or a relatively new
neighbour’s bake sale. Charity has to be a choice, and I don’t think it is
right to be guilt-tripped or forced into it.
Do you ever feel pressured into parting with
more money for a cause? Have you ever encountered a demand for a larger
donation than the one you chose to give?
For your 'friend' to query your donation is just appalling Ricky. They'll be glad they don't know me; I wouldn't of donated a penny. Charity comes in more forms than just money and for each act of charity that you perform, gratitude should be given to yourself and by others. The greatest act of charity is someone's time and that could be used for a mass variety of causes. Here are some of my examples of how to be charitable with time: Lend your ear to someone who is struggling with their thoughts/feelings, advise others through tough situations, take time out of your day to give blood, help someone push their car to jumpstart it/get it off the ice, if you see a criminal act then report it - you could be saving someone else from suffering, take an injured animal (known or unknown to you) to the vet, volunteer your time to organisations that help the vulnerable (elderly, children, disabled) volunteer anywhere and you'll be helping someone somewhere with their time, you could even travel overseas and actually assist people in poorer countries build their homes, schools and farms - your hands are more powerful and useful than metal and paper. Also, you pay your taxes and some of that money gets dished out to poorer countries as charity - billions of pounds in fact. You and I will perform acts of charity with our time on a frequent basis so from one human being to another, don't feel obliged tip out your wallets content to make yourself feel that you have contributed to others. We all contribute to others every day that we exist in some form or another (unless we're completely socially reclused from others). It's about perception, acceptance and gratitude. I won't start a tangent about those words now but if those words were truly understood and lived by then people would function a whole lot better without requesting money from others :) x
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