Make a difference
No matter the level of your success, there are others around both better or worse off. As you work hard and improve your position, you should think about others and how to lift up your community. Improving your position may be financial, or it may mean you have more control over your time. Either allows you options to make a difference and give back.
There are many options. You can volunteer for a non-profit, try to get on a non-profit board, do a fundraiser or donate money. Which option(s) will be right for you depends on you. Volunteering is an easy entry point. Most non-profits need volunteers and will gladly help you find a time and place to volunteer.
Being on a non-profit board is a larger commitment. There are board meetings, committees to participate in, events to attend and financial support is always needed. If you choose this option, make sure the non-profit’s mission is something you are passionate about because board members are charged with corporate governance and making important decisions on the operations and business of the non-profit. This equates with time. Plus, board members need to take their role seriously because they owe fiduciary duties to the non-profit. If you don’t know what this means, look it up before agreeing to join a board.
Planning and hosting a fundraiser may or may not be easier. It may mean getting a restaurant to donate a percentage sales on a given night to the non-profit. Or maybe you are braver and will plan a larger event, which means higher expenses and bigger risk for the non-profit. But to be clear, fundraising is one of the most important activities for a non-profit.
Of course you can choose to donate money instead of or in addition to your time. Non-profits always need it. The more success you have, the more opportunity you have to give back in this manner. If you have the means, you owe it to yourself and your community to find good causes to support .
Find your entry point and do what you are comfortable with. The point is to do something. You don’t have to have money to do this, just an interest in making a difference.