“Gentleness, self-sacrifice and generosity are the exclusive possession of no one race or religion.” – Mohandas Gahndi

“If you’re in the luckiest 1pc of humanity, you owe it to the rest of humanity 
to think about the other 99pc.” -  Warren Buffett

Obviously, we are not all in the 1pc, but we 99pc can still be proactive and make a difference somewhere. There are many reasons why we give, and they’re not entirely altruistic: to feel good, to make a difference, as a tax deduction, to empower the powerless, personal experience, our own values or a sense of duty.  But, giving is good! 

“To give away money is an easy matter and in any man's power. But to decide to 
whom to give it and how large and when, and for what purpose and how, is 
neither in every man's power nor an easy matter.” - Aristotle

One of my friends, via Facebook, mentioned that she and her husband had money to give somewhere and wanted suggestions from friends for where it could go. This was possibly a first for me. I don’t think it is usual for people to invite suggestions for who they should donate to, do they? I was curious to follow what sorts of things her friends suggested.

“If you can't feed a hundred people, then feed just one”. – Mother Teresa

I thought it important to create a giving site that was devoted to collecting and promoting non-judgemental and apolitical ways that we can give.  Often, giving is centred around money – donating to charities directly or via activities of friends who are undertaking a task in favour of a particular organisation. But there are ways to give that don’t involve money, including: volunteering, making goods, giving away things we no longer use and using our own personal networks to raise awareness about an issue or cause that we feel strongly about.

 “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” - Theodore Roosevelt

Plenty of organisations don’t have the resources to get their profile out there like some of the more well-known charities and not for profit organisations. And, as already mentioned, giving doesn’t have to be limited to charities or NFPs. There are community activities that we can get involved in to encourage others and build relationships.

So, let’s go. Let’s make a difference in whatever way we can.

“How wonderful that no one need wait a single moment to improve the world.”  – Anne Frank

All quotes sourced from the National Philanthropic Trust