Jason Ferruggia’s Renegade Fitness

One of our primary reasons for being is to give back. To help out those less fortunate and leave the world a better place. We can do this by donating time, talent or treasure.

With some smart planning many of us can figure out how to donate time or talent.

The last one is what many of us get stuck with. “How can I donate treasure (money) if I don’t have that much myself? I thought I was supposed to save my money? How will I pay my bills?”

I used to struggle with the same questions myself for years. The holidays would roll around and I’d realize I barely donated a dime to charity all year.

Then I felt horrible about myself and what a useless excuse for a human I was so I’d break the bank and write a big check while crossing my fingers that I’d be able to pay the rent in January.

The worse option was realizing that same thing in late December but not having the funds in my account to donate a single gift to a homeless kid in need. Then I really felt terrible.

But there’s a much better way. Like everything else that you actually want to accomplish you have to schedule charitable donations and make them a habit. Like Yanik Silver says, make it a part of your business.

Even if you don’t own your own business you can still systemize this.

Instead of having to write a big check with money you don’t have every holiday season or after every natural disaster strikes simply set up automated payments to one or a few charities that are important to you every month.

Many, like the Red Cross, allow you to do this right on their site where you can have the funds deducted monthly. Environmental groups and those that work with children usually allow you to sign up for something like this as well.

Start low so it’s not overwhelming. If last year you didn’t donate a dime to charity then start by setting up an auto pay for ten bucks a month. Then at the end of the year you will have donated $120 more than last year and can feel pretty good about yourself.

If you donated a thousand with one big check around the holiday season last year or around the time of Hurricane Sandy then divide that by twelve. That works out to be $83 per month. A less painful way to donate that each year is to set an auto payment up for $83 a month. Or bump it up a bit to $90 or $100 and try to increase it a bit each year.

A good goal is to donate 5% of your earnings to charity each year. A great goal is to hit 10%. But right now, if you can only start with 1% that’s awesome. At least you’re doing something, and not everyone is, unfortunately.

I know that no matter what I say the fear will still be there that you won’t be able to pay your bills and that eventually you will start giving to charity when you have enough money. But don’t wait for that day. You don’t have to.

There’s a universal law that you always get back what you give. You can’t out-give the universe. If you donate $100 a year you will get that back. Foster Hibbard said,

The hole you give through is the hole you receive through.”

And when it’s being automatically deducted from your account each month without you having to go through the hassle of writing the check you’ll never even know it’s gone or miss the money.

You will still have that money at the end of the month when you really need it. It’s a universal law.

So stop worrying and start giving. We all owe it to each other, to those who came before us, and to those who came after us to make the world a better place.

Although the celebrity concerts and telethons have long since passed the victims of Katrina, Sandy, tsunami’s, hurricanes, earthquakes, 911 and other tragedies still need our help and should never be forgotten.

And every day children die of cancer, AIDS or other horrible diseases. If everyone gave a dollar a month just think of all the good we could do….

PS. Can’t think of any good charities to donate to? Here’s a list of a few that are near and dear to my heart: