3 Ways to Give Beyond #GivingTuesday

'Tis the season for giving and in case you missed it, today, Tuesday December 2, 2014 was the official 'Giving Tuesday'. Maybe this can offset the Black Friday and Cyber Monday "getting" frenzies (though you could be "getting" for "giving" to others).

Did your inbox get flooded with "Giving Tuesday" solicitations for a kazillion charities? Mine sure did. And all the social media feeds were not very different either. #GivingTuesday was the top trending hashtag on Twitter. And just in case you don't really want to help others (channeling Scrooge), there are many studies and talks trying to convince you why you should, for example how to get happy giving money.

Maybe you were on the ball and had already figured out how much you're going to give and to whom and made it happen today - on Giving Tuesday. Then again, maybe you were super busy with the business of living and working and didn't have time to do so, or you just don't know who you'd like to give to, yet.

Not to worry, you can give any day of the year. Yes, there are matching grants offered on this day, but it doesn't really matter - announcing the matching is just a way to get more donors like you to hurry up and give right now. The 'match' donor is most likely going to donate the planned amount anyway.

I'm glad that I can give at any time, and I can give in three different ways.

1. Giving Money.

Much of Giving Tuesday is about monetary donations, which is understandable as non-profits need money to be able to offer services to those in need. The good thing is that they will take the money any time you can give it!

Figuring out who you should give money too takes a bit more effort. If you have money to give and you're ready to do so, you can do it for:

• A charity drive sponsored by your workplace
• A charity drive in your (or your kids') school
• A charity that a friend or family member is involved in
• A charity for a cause that you are intellectually/emotionally attached to

If you're picking your own favorite cause, take some time to check it out and make sure it meets your standards and it's legit. A quick look at http://www.charitynavigator.org/ would be help.  And if you're up to it (and not likely to be caught up on how it'll be used), go ahead and give some money to the panhandler on the street. It's all good!

2. Giving Time.

Otherwise known as volunteering, this is the one thing, other than giving money, that keeps non-profits running. When you donate your time, you are giving of yourself in more personal way, and, most organizations welcome that, especially if you have some specialized skills that they need.

Before donating your time to an organization (check them out first!), you may want to consider a few things:

• Do you want to do this just one-time or on a recurring basis?
• One-time may help you ease into it if you're just starting out in volunteering
• Can you make - and keep - the commitment?
• Thinking of mentoring after work each week? Consider if your schedule would allow it.
• Would you enjoy the other people you would work with?
• You're more likely to keep your commitment if you're comfortable your co-volunteers 
• Would you like the work you'd be doing? 
• Frankly, I'm not big on cooking large vats of food, so it's a good thing that soup kitchens often have more helpers than they need.

But, you're not limited to organizations. You may have family members or friends who need companionship or some help (lonely grandpas, aunts who don't drive) who would greatly appreciate your gift of time. And don't they say that charity begins at home?

3. Giving Spirit.

No, not 'spirits', but giving of your spirit. Of the three ways of giving, this is probably the most spontaneous and the least structured. It is nothing more than showing compassion and spreading some cheer, and you can do it as often as you want, to anyone.

Some examples of how to give of your spirit:

• Thank the barista who gets your latte with some genuine warmth, eye contact and a little personalization. As in "Thank you! You are fast, even with this crowd!" vs. a mumbled, face-averted "Thanks".
• Praise your coworker's effort, especially when no one else is paying attention to it. ("It was really nice that you stayed late to help John figure out the bug.")
• Give a meaningful compliment to a family member. ("You even got your introverted cousin laughing at the party last night.")
• Email a friend you haven't been in touch with for a while with a link or story she'd like.
• Say something nice to the person waiting in the checkout line with you.
• See something that makes you feel good on Facebook? Don't just 'like' it, be bold, and write an authentic comment about how you feel. It'll make more people feel the same way.

The funny thing about giving of your spirit is that it can be the easiest thing to do but also the hardest, especially when we're so wrapped up in our own affairs and can't remember to do things without prompting. And for some people, it also not easy to connect emotionally with those who are not close friends or family. But it does get easier the more you do it though, and best of all, it makes you feel good!

Giving Tuesday is over, for this year at any rate. Do you still plan to give?

Image courtesy of rakratchada torsap at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Ikigai

One of my least favorite things about the end of the year is the ubiquitous 'year in review' list.  The best, the worst, the whatever-the-editor-fancies list.  So, as my last post for the year, I decided I would not do a 'look back' piece, but a 'look ahead' one instead.  As I work with a for-profit as well as a non-profit organization, I thought it might be good to reflect on encouraging and inspirational to-do items for entrepreneurs who are hoping to make a difference in 2013.

But, then as I was randomly web-surfing while drinking my chai, I ran across a mention of 'ikigai', the Japanese word which roughly translates to your reason for being. The 'Why?' of your life. Ikigai has been recently mentioned in various articles (like this one) as one of the secrets to a healthy long life.  Frankly, I'd think that it would be great for anyone, at any age, to know his/her own reason for being.  In fact, most people who seem happy with their lives appear to have a good sense of their own 'ikigai' and are living it, whatever it may be - feeding a family or fighting for causes.

Ikigai is probably what is driving most entrepreneurs - at least the ones that stick with their ventures.  There is something powerful driving the middle-class woman who starts a school for destitute children in India (here's the story) as there was something driving Steve Jobs.  Ikigai might be the answer to the question 'what makes an entrepreneur?'.

Of course, the 'reason for your being' is available to everyone, it is just different for each of us.  And it takes effort to figure it out.  When you do, you're half way to fulfillment.  The other half is figuring out how to live your ikigai. In a long-ago post, I wrote about why I do what I do - create, care, connect - and it is good to be reminded of it as I make choices, big or small.  After all, the ikigai is only the reason for your life, you still have to take the actions that make it your life.

Wish you a happy 2013 - may you find your ikigai and bounce out of bed every morning in anticipation of living it!

Good products do social good

I got to thinking about this when reading a Quora post on how to get people to notice your startup.  There are many suggestions for marketing, social or otherwise, but the key is always just one thing - build a good product that people want to use.  Marketing is good for only so much, if the product doesn't do it, for whatever reason, it's not going to make much of a difference.

Thinking about some of the really good products of the past few years made me realize how many of them have had huge, positive, social impact - even when they didn't start out that way.  Apple created iTunes to get people to quickly and easily buy music for their iPods - no stated social goals, purely revenue/profit driven.  But, it (was) is a product that people want to use, and now it has vast numbers of educational podcasts and videos, from top universities too, and iTunes has, as a side effect, made quality educational content available to everyone.  Social good?  Check.  Take Google, from search to YouTube.  It has changed the way people get information, and more, it quickly and easily delivers previously unavailable information to people who need it.  For every person who wastes hours watching dancing cats, there's someone learning about how to identify heart attacks from just plain stomach rebellion to too much spicy food.   I don't know about the 'don't be evil' mission of theirs, but their tool is seriously used for good.

Let's not forget the now ubiquitous smartphone - and it all started with Apple's iPhone, though the med tech visiting villages in India to provide on the spot assistance is not using an iPhone necessarily.  It's changed education, health care, emergency assistance - you name it.  Again, the goal was not to do good directly, but provide this must-have tool which has changed our lives that could be used by any number of people to deliver the 'good'.

Then there's Facebook.  Almost a billion users strong, recently reviled for its tanking stock price and the social network that everyone joins and many kvetch about.  It started out as an exclusive, somewhat elitist (only the cool schools are in) online student group, almost a gossip board.  Now it is not only keeping far-flung families connected and feeling loved (go grandmas!) but providing a platform for a myriad socially focused groups and even played a part in mobilizing people during the Arab spring of 2011.   It fosters conversation, whether someone is sharing their latest idea for going green or slamming the convention speakers.  It is bringing people together, and helping keep them that way (though arguably some of them need to be reminded to get out and do it in person too).  Much of it may be banal and self-serving, but there's no question that Facebook has been an agent of social change

By the way, the older companies like Microsoft and Yahoo are also doing good on a daily basis with their products.  Whatever you may say about MS Office, the world still uses it - and that includes kazillion non-profits - because it does the job, and I'm finding that tons of social groups, especially small volunteer ones, are all active users of Yahoo groups.  And of course, there's their email - used for distributing sketchy jokes as well as tips to manage your money - the app that just refuses to go away. (By the way, if you're a fan of the all 'good' ideas bubbling out there, check out The Daily Good.)

Yes, this list is mainly of tech companies, because, honestly, that's the field I'm in and what I was ruminating about.  This is not to imply that these companies are all warm and fuzzy like gargantuan, but cuddly, teddy bears.  It's just that all of these are for profit, in a major way, yet they have achieved vast, global social reach and impact - because of the nature of their products.

Maybe more wannabe social entrepreneurs should focus on their products and why people would want to use them, knowing that the good will follow (along with the money).   What do you think?

(Image courtesy of digitalart / FreeDigitalPhotos.net)