Make " Giving" your goal for 2015!

Happy New Year! 2015 is an important year for development because it marks the end of the Millennium Development Goals. At the turn of the millennium, world leaders gathered at the United Nations in New York to pass “Millennium Declaration” – a pledge to meet eight development goals by 2015. This year as we take stock of progress made to achieve these goals; there is a lot of good news to report. Progress has been particularly strong in sub Saharan Africa, and it lags in parts of the world suffering from conflict.

A few years ago, I began thinking about how I was contributing to the advancement and achievement of the MDG’s at an individual level. While I was volunteering my time extensively, fundraising and doing what I thought was useful, I had no way of understanding the impact of my actions on the causes I supported.

So I began to look at my micro giving differently. Imagine if you could define your charitable and development goals at the beginning of the year and work towards achieving them.Drawing on this idea, I began tracking some of the things I do to make my community a better place. For instance, in 2013 I fostered 5 dogs and two cats, rehomed several animals, volunteered for over 50 hours, raised a lot of money for different causes, donated a lot of money to the arts and brought previously unconnected individuals and groups together.

I believe that if each one of us builds our own roadmap for giving, similar to the way we plan our health and economic goals, we can participate in energizing our communities and see real change in the short term.

Here are some of the ways I put together my micro giving portfolio –The goal here is not about ‘how much’ , but about making giving a part of our daily lives.

1. Identify your themes for the year – For instance I am passionate about animal welfare, elder healthcare, urban homelessness, STEM for girls and preserving and reviving rural art.
2. Start Locally – Once you narrow down what you are passionate about , identify organizations close to you or the area you want to support and learn about their work. It’s important to get a sense of the organizations, its administration and its culture. Supporting charities is not just about writing a cheque but about being co-opted into the development process. Don’t forget that you too are an important stakeholder and it’s your job to do your homework.
3. Vetting – It can be very disappointing to find out that your contribution has gone to a charity that is not transparent or adheres to unethical practises. To avoid this there are tons of resources out there such as Guidestar india, Charities aid foundation and Credibility Alliance to name a few. Here you can learn about an organizations work and its impact before you commit. While working with smaller organizations, the best way to learn about them is to volunteer. Volunteering is not only a great way to share your time, but also to learn and participate in creating something wonderful.
4. Track your progress – I use a simple excel sheet which tracks cash, kind and other donations I make to different charities. It’s interesting that when you put all this data in one place, you begin to understand your own trends of giving, unlikely connections which can be facilitated by you etc.
5. Piggy banks and cardboard boxes – Spring cleaning my daughter’s bedroom unearths endless unused and forgotten treasures. So, we usually put them all into a cardboard boxes and depending on whether they are clothes, toys or books we give them to the respective charity. I am always surprised at how kind children can be, and have now learnt not to underestimate them.
6. Buying local and buying from charities – one of my daughters favourite toys are produced at the Hubli Hospital for the Handicapped. They make lovely cotton animals that have beautiful patterns painted on them. They are inexpensive, good quality and very appealing to young children. Early on, I decided that I would (as much as possible) buy from charities or organizations that help underserved communities.
7. Getting friends and family involved – Volunteering is a lot of fun, but sharing the experience with a loved one, multiplies the joy. Don’t involve loved ones only when it comes to fundraising. Everyone wants to be a part of your story in some small way, even if it just means cheering from the side-lines. Talk about organizations that inspire you, people who move you and futures worth fighting for. That way, when you do need help and support, people know your story and know that they can trust you.

Don’t restrict your giving to tax breaks or local boundaries. Some of my favourite investments are into people I believe in, ideas I wish would bear fruit and geographies that are wrought with conflict. I am lucky to have discovered the joy of giving in my 20’s. It’s amazing what you can do with a little money, a lot of love and good people!