In yesterday’s post I noted that giving is a lousy wealth building strategy, but if it’s joy you’re after, generosity is THE way to go. My son, Jay, alerted me to a blog post by Biz Stone, co-founder of Twitter, that is a powerful ditto to my humble ramblings.
You’ll want to read the whole post, but here’s some of what Stone has to say.
On a personal level, my wife and I have found ways to give even when we were in debt through volunteering. We found this work to be rewarding on many levels—helping others really does work both ways. When we started earning more substantive amounts of money, we were able to put more funding toward charitable causes each year. These days, as previous investments begin to pay off and new opportunities present themselves, Livia and myself find ourselves in the fortunate position to contribute even more significantly.
Whether it’s tied to an entrepreneurial vision or simply made part of your every day life, giving pays back in ways you might not anticipate. Whether you’re helping a teacher and classroom in need, donating clothes or canned foods to a local shelter, volunteering for disaster relief, or giving up your birthday to help others get clean water, you’re doing something that makes a difference in the world. Don’t think you have to wait to do these things—get started right away because here’s the secret: there is compound interest in altruism.
I’m proud to say that Jay will be doing some giving of his own this weekend when he volunteers as the event photographer for the Pennsylvania Relief Sale, a wonderful fundraiser for Mennonite Central Committee. If you’re in the Harrisburg, PA area on Saturday, April 2, stop by the Farm Show Complex. You will find me at the quilt auction.