We always watch with interest the participation numbers in the SEC campaign. Try as we might, I don’t think we’ve ever broken above 50% for SECC, and my guess is this year will be no different. We’re fortunate that a good number of people give, and many are able to give generously, and at the end of the day that’s resulted in some incredible figures in past years.
But, there’s one little idea—a notion—that always sticks in my head when we’re talking about percentage of people who give. Giving feels good. It fills you with a warm sense of sharing, knowing that you’ve done something positive for someone else, that you’ve put your money to work for a good cause, for something you believe in, for someone else. It’s good karma. That’s why after people make that first gift, they usually come back the next year and make another, and that’s where my challenge kicks in.
If you’ve never made a gift before and you are reading this, try it once, this year.
1) To make things easy, use payroll deduction.
2) Choose a pledge amount of $2 a month (the minimum online gift), for $24 a year. Think of it as about the amount you’d leave in tip for one lunch a month. (If you honestly can’t afford this, as I know some can’t, my heart goes out to you. For you, the bet’s off.)
3) Pick a single charitable federation. Each “federation” is a collection of charitable organizations that will share equally in whatever you present to them. So, if you want to give locally, as an example, you could select “United Way of Galveston” (or your local equivalent) and with one gift support different organizations helping women, children, seniors, pets, education, fight hunger, and so on. There is an umbrella groups for faith-based charities, one focusing on children, one for environmental causes, and several others.
Try pledging the $2. Making your gift will take two minutes. You’ll feel good about it for 12 months. Try it and let me know how it goes.