Is telling people that you have given money to charity a selfish thing to do? Meh, maybe, but isn’t it the most unselfish “selfish” thing to do?
Why don’t we feel this way about people telling us that they’re vegan, or a gym whore or an organ donor?
‘OMG, you gave your sister a kidney so she could live? That’s so selfish of you, you shouldn’t tell anyone otherwise people will think that you’re a total narcissist who only gave your kidney away so that you can feel good about yourself.’
This year I have been very philanthropic, probably more than Bill Gates to be honest. I gave a few hundred pounds to the bush fire relief in Australia, another couple of hundred to UK based animal rescue charities to help them through lock down and I’ve gotten into the habit of buying additional items at the supermarket to put in the food bank on my way out.
Yes, I am an absolute saint, but I’m not telling you this because I want you to put me on some sort of golden pedestal, (but please feel free to do so), I’m telling you this because I want people to remember me for being kind.
I also want to be remembered for being an excellent badminton player, a hilarious writer and an absolute beast at KerPlunk, but “kind” will fit better on my gravestone.
Like chlamydia, giving to charity is contagious and that’s the main reason I’m telling you about my extremely selfless actions. The more we all tell each other about our donations the more people will donate. People tell others when they buy a new pair of Nike Air Force 1 trainers, so why don’t they tell us when they donate £20 to Cute Fluffy Animal Rescue? I’d probably/definitely think better of them if they did.
Seeing others feel good about themselves after giving to charity is inspiring and can encourage others to do the same.
Of course, not everyone has a spare few pounds to give to charity and I would never want anyone to feel bad for not being able to. I am very lucky to be able to afford to donate to charity. How do I afford it? I work full time and don’t have kids. Am I saying that people should stop having kids and give to charity instead?
Yes, that is exactly what I am saying. What a wonderful world that would be 😀
Here are some of my favourite charities if you’re interested, but even just buying some beans or pasta to put into the food bank in the supermarket is a lovely thing to do!
RSPCA: https://www.rspca.org.uk/getinvolved/donate/online
Battersea Dog’s Home: https://donate.battersea.org.uk/appeals/default/
Refugee Action: https://donate.refugee-action.org.uk/page/53503/donate/
Women’s Aid: https://www.womensaid.org.uk/donate/