Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.
Speaker 1: Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
Speaker 1: Today's tip is to find your cause. The world has
Speaker 1: so many needs and it's hard to know how to
Speaker 1: make a difference. One approach is to do what you
Speaker 1: can anytime you receive a request. But I'd encourage you
Speaker 1: to be a bit more strategic. Finding one cause to
Speaker 1: go all in on can feel more rewarding, which means
Speaker 1: you'll wind up giving more generously than you would otherwise.
Speaker 1: If you already have a cause you're devoted to great,
Speaker 1: I'd encourage you to go deeper. Can you double your contributions?
Speaker 1: Could you make a bigger volunteer commitment once a week
Speaker 1: or more? But if you're not yet sure how to
Speaker 1: direct your giving, keep listening. Think about what gives you've
Speaker 1: most worked up. What topics can you talk about and
Speaker 1: read about for hours? It might help to think about
Speaker 1: topics that have always interested you but aren't directly related
Speaker 1: to your work. For instance, I'm drawn to issues of
Speaker 1: healthy eating and food insecurity, even though these aren't topics
Speaker 1: I write or speak about. I know a lot of
Speaker 1: people are moved by the cause of anti racism, or
Speaker 1: maybe children's well being in the face of a pandemic
Speaker 1: response that has taken so many protections and supports away
Speaker 1: from children. Once you've zeroed in on something that makes
Speaker 1: you want to learn more, research organizations that are doing
Speaker 1: good work on the issue. I'm partial to ones that
Speaker 1: are involved in your local area because you'll be able
Speaker 1: to get more personally involved, but there's a good case
Speaker 1: for looking at organizations that do good work on a
Speaker 1: national or global scale too. Look at the ones you've
Speaker 1: heard about, but google articles on the topic and see
Speaker 1: who else is listed as well. Then visit their websites,
Speaker 1: read about their missions and programs. Check out the board
Speaker 1: lists and donor lists. When you see that individuals or
Speaker 1: institutions you respect or support the organization with time and money,
Speaker 1: that's a vote of confidence. You might also consult their
Speaker 1: I R s for or the Profile and Guide Stars
Speaker 1: nonprofit directory. After you found an organization you think could
Speaker 1: be a good fit, get involved, sign up for their newsletter,
Speaker 1: make a donation, and I really think this is important, volunteer.
Speaker 1: As you do, you can get to know the staff
Speaker 1: and other volunteers and those who benefit from the organization's work.
Speaker 1: If you do this over time, you will probably find
Speaker 1: yourself giving more and more of your time and money
Speaker 1: to support the organization, even telling your friends about it
Speaker 1: or serving as a volunteer leader or board member. It
Speaker 1: is satisfying to provide significant support to an organization that
Speaker 1: you believe is doing good work, and by concentrating your
Speaker 1: efforts and gifts on a single organization or at most two,
Speaker 1: you're able to see more of an impact than if
Speaker 1: your support is more dispersed. Some families get involved to
Speaker 1: gather maybe you and your adult siblings or you and
Speaker 1: your kids. Some faith communities and workplaces support particular organizations,
Speaker 1: and you might find it rewarding to volunteer alongside people
Speaker 1: you're already connected with, or you might enjoy the new
Speaker 1: relationships and experiences you have through an independent connection to
Speaker 1: a nonprofit. It can be a great way to expand
Speaker 1: your circle now I know. There are various utilitarian arguments
Speaker 1: about giving to the places where you know a dollar
Speaker 1: will go furthest which tends to be relief for health
Speaker 1: organizations working in developing countries. There's also the question of
Speaker 1: why our own satisfaction and sense of meaning should guide
Speaker 1: giving it all. Perhaps It sounds selfish that we want
Speaker 1: to see actual impact, and yet the world will always
Speaker 1: have more problems than any of us can solve. None
Speaker 1: of us can solve everything. Choosing one cause inevitably means
Speaker 1: not choosing others. But when we feel more connected to
Speaker 1: a cause, we feel compelled to do more. Making real
Speaker 1: impact in one small space is worth celebrating whatever other
Speaker 1: causes still exist. So what's your cause? You can tell
Speaker 1: me about how you got involved and the impact the
Speaker 1: organization is having on its beneficiaries and on you. You You
Speaker 1: can reach me at Before Breakfast podcast at i heeart
Speaker 1: media dot com. In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks
Speaker 1: for listening, and here's to making the most of our time. Hey, everybody,
Speaker 1: I'd love to hear from you. You can send me
Speaker 1: your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with
Speaker 1: me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod
Speaker 1: that's the number four then Breakfast p o D. You
Speaker 1: can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast podcast
Speaker 1: at i heeart media dot com. That Before Breakfast is
Speaker 1: spelled out with all the letters. Thanks so much, I
Speaker 1: look forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a
Speaker 1: production of I Heart Radio For more podcasts from I
Speaker 1: heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app, Apple podcasts,
Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.