One of my main spending priorities is donating to causes that I feel help others. How do you use your money to do good?
I think a lot about how I use my money — and what those resources accomplish. I like to think I can help others with the way I use my money.
Yesterday (September 10) was World Suicide Prevention Day and my friend Melanie at Dear Debt put together a blog tour about suicide and finances.
I'm fortunate that I haven't been in a position to face depression or suicide, although I have dear friends who battle every day. I also live in a community where some people have been marginalized because of the way they were born. The type of marginalization they face as already-vulnerable teens is severe enough that many contemplate suicide. And, in fact, Utah, a place I lived many years and that is just a couple hours to the south of me today, has one of the teen suicide rates in the country.
I live in a state where the young LGTBQ+ population is also at risk for suicide, even though the rate here isn't as high as it is in Utah. While I don't usually get all political up in here, and I'm not saying you have to care about such things (although I think that care and concern for our fellow humans are important), it does make sense to think about an issue you care about and then use your resources to help others.
Donating More to Suicide Prevention
I've always been a staunch ally, and it's important to me help others as I can. I donate money to causes I think will enrich others' lives or help them improve. I like my money to have a purpose. I've recently started paying better attention to how suicide impacts certain populations in my community. I want to donate to local organizations that reach out to at-risk people and bring them hope.
Melanie does a lot to help her online community learn that debt doesn't need to be a death sentence. As part of her blog tour, she has been sharing information about the?National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 (www.Suicide.org). I've been thinking about how to work on a more local level. I'll be showing support at my town's Pride Festival next week, and I hope to talk to people about what local resources there are to help others facing suicide. That way, I can put some of my resources into those community?efforts.
Deciding Where Your Money Will Best Help Others
I've been reviewing the way I help others?and changing where my money goes. In recent years, I've shifted toward more local efforts. I donate to a local food bank. I have become involved with a local political organization in the hopes I can help change my local area for the better, especially as it relates to income inequality?and underserved populations. I'm reviewing how some of my money still goes to a church I'm not sure is the best solution to some of these issues.
My 13-year-old son recently pointed out that my position as a staunch ally?and someone concerned about the problems facing certain populations isn't really conducive to ?where some of my money is going. He suggested I look for a LGTBQ+ organization locally that offers outreach to suicidal youth. I'm in the process of looking for a way to get involved — at least with my money.
I like the idea of donating money and time to help others. And because there is such limited time, I know that some causes are going to get my money instead of time. With Melanie's inspirational guidance, and with the knowledge of what's happening in my community, I hope to re-evaluate where my money is going and redirect it into causes I think will be beneficial to the community.
You can use your resources to make a difference in the lives of others. The right word, talent, or dollar in the right place can help make the world a better place.
What causes do you believe in? How do you use your time or money to help others?
What a great post. I think it’s fantastic to use the wealth that one is blessed with to help others, and it sounds like you do so selflessly. Thanks for sharing!
That is certainly a very worthy cause especially as we deal with the outbreak of youth suicides.
My time is given to my family and money is given to my Buddhist organization to promote world peace and humanism.
I’m a huge fan of investing my time and money into services where I can see a direct impact on the community. I think too often it’s easy for me to give to organizations and hope they will do the right thing. I’ve had to force myself to volunteer to see my money at work and feel like I’m totally invested in the cause. If I don’t get excited about volunteering I know it’s probably not the right area for me to donate to.
I learned as a teenager that I suffered from severe depression and anxiety and was so ashamed. As an adopted child to living and caring parents, I felt I had no reason to feel depressed, Hopeless and want to kill myself. Many hospitalization and medications were a struggle. I eventual had about 12 painful and humiliating ECT’s which helped the medication take effect. I learned through years of therapy that it was nothing to be ashamed of and I inherited it. Just recently with great anguish my worst nightmare came to light. My 15 year old son wanted to kill himself. Horrified I also learned he had a plan. I spoke to his doctor and was hesitant to take him to the hospital and have him locked up,drugged up and frightened by the help they would try to give. His doctor is not close to where we live but I agreed to take him to her in the morning and that I would not leave his side for the next 4 hours until we could see her. I held him in my arms,Rocked him to a calm state and sat at the end of his bed all night. I am a single mother, I struggle to put food on the table for my son and now his medications are so expensive. If I had the money I would love to set up some way for people to afford the medications needed so they don’t have to choose between food and meds. My son is my world and I know with affordable counseling and medication he will see how he is special and needed in this world. Everyday depression knocks on our door but together we fight the knocks and look for a path we can navigate with our the best health in mind. Maybe the stigma will soon pass of people with mental illness. Awareness is the key to help, teach people the signs and get help for those who feel hopeless and suicidal
Thank you for this post and these comments. It is right to use your money in service of others and helping the vulnerable. I commend the author of this blog and Christine.