There’s a quote I’m going to use but will most likely butcher since I struggle with remembering anything that’s not a song lyric or movie line verbatim. It says that the way you volunteer your time is a reflection of the kind of community you want to live in. I agree with that. I think that not only is it reflective of the kind of community you want to live in but also reflective of your personal values and choices, although maybe we can discuss that a bit since sometimes maybe I want to donate to or volunteer for something but due to money or other constraints, I just can’t (I guess in that case I can always share and bring attention to it so there’s that workaround). And if I’m being honest with you guys, I’ve been struggling a bit with what I believe in.
I think I have cause fatigue. There’s JUST SO MANY and it’s been increasingly difficult to pick just a few. It’s not that my morals are compromised. I think it’s more that I want to help everybody. And I know I can’t and I’m finally at the point where I’m okay with that. But I’ve had to spend some serious time thinking about what causes I truly believe in and how I can best contribute to those causes. Well, maybe not so much how I can contribute because I have a pretty solid method for that (which I can share with you if you’d like) but where should my money and time go?
After a ton of soul searching, these are the 4 causes that rose to the top of my list:
- Literacy. It makes me sad to think of all the people who struggle with reading or have little access to books. Books are amazing and life changing, and it is critical to me that people can read and get books into their hands.
- Food security. It is close to impossible to concentrate on anything when you’re hungry (says the bitchiest of the bitchy when she’s hangry) and it kills me to think that people, especially kids, go to bed having their growling stomachs sing them to what is probably a very restless sleep.
- Cat rescue. I know, I have two dogs and I should just say animal rescue. But for some reason, stray cats tug at my heart more than dogs. Probably because on the whole, cats are more reviled than dogs. I also have a rescued stray cat.
- Mental Health awareness. For obvious reasons.
I know that people tend to gravitate towards issues that affect them personally and that’s probably true for me as well. In my past, I’ve donated regularly to organizations that didn’t but I felt were important anyway. But I don’t think it stuck as a cause to champion because I didn’t have that personal connection to it. I know that there are plenty of people who involve and immerse themselves in causes that have no connection to their history but for me, I need that bond. Knowing how I felt makes me want to help others not feel that way (which is actually a weird thing to say about literacy since I started reading at age 4 but I’ve worked with people who struggle with reading and I’ve seen how hard life is for them and I don’t want people going through that if I can help)
What’s nice about this list is that it still leaves room to make donations and support other causes but it gives me a place to focus my efforts. Because giving is not a mutually exclusive activity. Volunteering at a cat adoption event or the school library or writing a post about suicide prevention does not preclude me from making a donation to Relay for Life (or even participating in Relay for Life) or buying toys for Toys for Tots. But when time and money are at a premium, and since charitable giving is a core priority of mine, it’s good to have a frame of reference for where to put my limited resources.
How about you guys? What are some of your most important causes?
Homelessness (especially youth), food pantries, domestic abuse, literacy, and clean water are my tops.
I am with you, there are a lot of causes out there I would love to send my money and time to all of them but you can only do so much. My number one top cause is always homeless animals. Also, I am a big fan of food drives for local shelters and usually host 1-2 a year to collect from the bloggers in the area. No one should have to go hungry.
Sigh, I need to do more. I donate when and where I can, but I’d love to volunteer my time, too. Causes that are super important to me: lung cancer (lost my aunt, uncle, and grandfather to it) and Parkinsons (my uncle currently has it and it’s heartbreaking).
This is something that I think about a lot too. My ability to donate the amount of money I’d like isn’t there at the moment but I still donate to the humane society in the name of my deceased cats (to the respective humane society they were adopted from) and I’m going to be volunteering soon at my local library (well, as soon as the library gets the okay from the PoPo that I’m not a criminal). I’d like to do more with domestic abuse survivors and the homeless too.
poverty, heart/stroke, mental health. i always donate to these charities/causes and when kayla gets older, she’s coming with me to the food bank to help sort food and/or serve meals.
Oh, this was great. I guess I’ve never thought about narrowing it down but you’re right, there are so many good causes out there that maybe one needs a bit more focus to make a bigger difference! I need to think on this and determine what rises to the top for myself!
I agree, it’s so overwhelming. I stick to animal related causes, any sort of animal rescue. As a general rule, I don’t donate to causes that benefit humans unless a friend is asking for a specific reason they’re passionate about. It comes down to the fact that I like all animals and dislike most people. Animals can’t help themselves, almost always because of what humans have done to them. So that’s my cause in a nutshell!
Animal shelters. I don’t have rescue dogs, but my empathy toward animals has exploded in the last few years. I want to help them all. Also, causes that benefit kids and encourage exercise (why I volunteer with Girls on the Run). And food pantries.
I’ve never really thought about which causes are most important to me, but then I read your list, and those are things that always tug at my heart and wallet. I really should be more mindful about finding the things important to me and giving back when I can.
I’ve been feeling “cause fatigue” as well. Then, I feel guilty for that. Annually, I give to MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. Both of my step-mothers have been treated there. My first stepmom who eventually lost her battle with brain cancer and second stepmom who has battled breast cancer, twice, and had a full mastectomy last year. So, this would be my personal cause that you mention. But, hey, cancer has hit so many of us, I feel like I’m helping many with my small contribution.
In Houston, I volunteered with Make-A-Wish. It is still a cause that is near and dear to me.
Those are my two constants. I find myself pulled to so many others, and like you, want to help everyone and all things and save the world! But, I can’t. So, I think it is a sensible idea to put a lot of thought into where I can direct my focus. Four seems like an achievable number.
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I have so many causes.. But I don’t do enough for any of them. Low income housing, youth education, animal abuse, food safety, employee rights, consumer rights are just a few of them. If I could quit my job and donate my time to all of these, I would.
This is a good point. We have a program to donate to city/state/national organizations through payroll deductions. You can choose each year- so far I believe I have donated to local wildlife/environmental conservation, the Red Cross, the Ronald McDonald House, and NC adoption programs.
But overall I totally get the “cause fatigue,” it’s at the point where I’m honestly hesitant to put anything on social media or even get on social media because people take everything so.dang.personal…if you want to help, promote actual positive actions to take- don’t just cry about how heartbroken YOU are over someone else’s flooded home/war-torn country/etc (general you).
your stray cats line made me tear up a bit! i feel like people are so mean to cats and they don’t deserve it 🙁 all of my cats were ‘adopted’ but they were kittens. we used to volunteer at a shelter every weekend and feed the kitties, play with them and clean their cages. i wanted to take them all home, especially the older ones who’d been abused. they had too many volunteers though and didn’t need us anymore, so we just donate food and stuff now. but i agree, sometimes i feel like there is SO much the world needs help with and I am just one person who doesn’t have a lot of money or stuff to give… so instead i just sit here feeling sorry for myself because i can’t do it all, which is ridiculous. i need to pick and choose things to focus on, like this. thanks jana!