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You don’t have to be a part of ‘the Giving Pledge’ to make a serious impact on another person’s life by your charitable giving. For those unaware, the Giving Pledge is a project begun by two of the world’s wealthiest men, Bill Gates and Warren Buffett. The project has focused on getting the rest of the world’s richest people to pledge half or more of their fortunes to go to charity either at their death, or even beginning before their deaths. The pledge is novel because historically, the wealthy have worked all of their lives to create a fortune, which they then pass on to their family members. The Giving Pledge is an attempt to break the dynastic cycle created by the wealthy, in which perhaps undeserving people inherit billions of dollars to spend living frivolous lives.
By giving away large chunks of their fortunes, the wealthy individuals who sign up have potentially altered the landscape for many charitable organizations, whose resources were quite slim. But as it stands, many charities do not require an influx of a couple hundred million dollars to do some serious good. Often, by collecting even $50,000, a charity can have a deeply meaningful impact upon the struggling members of a community.
Often, just a few hundred dollars is enough to get the feet back underneath someone who is struggling. This meager amount can go towards the rent payment, some small bills, and even buy some food for the hungry mouths involved. Often, people just need a helping hand in between jobs. This happens frequently, for example, when they’ve landed a new job after losing their old one, but have not yet received a paycheck. The bills don’t stop coming in, so a helping hand goes quite far. So remember that when it’s time to give to your local charity – even a seemingly meager amount can be quite beneficial.
