HOW TO: Spend an Entire Year Giving to Charity

Try donating to a different charity every day for an entire year. Sounds hard, right? Well, it is, but that’s the exact goal that Carlo Garcia set for himself when he started Living Philanthropic, a one-year, one-man project to donate money 365 days in a row.

Every day, Garcia chooses a new charity and donates a small sum of money — usually around $10, but never less than $5. He then documents that day’s charity in a blog post on his Tumblr, where he describes the cause and provides some insights or personal stories to highlight its mission. Garcia, a Chicago-based actor and director, has minimal experience with blogging and social media but now relies on a suite of digital tools to spread his message, including a Twitter account, @deusexrockina, the hashtag #GiveEveryday, Facebook Page, and crowdrise profile.

Garcia admitted on his site that he doesn’t come from money, nor does he have an especially large bank account. The project was built on the belief that any support can make a difference. To make room for the donations, Garcia gave up some daily frills, like a cup of coffee or indulgent purchases like extra plaid shirts. Now on day 306, Garcia has given more than $3,500.

But Living Philanthropic is more than just a way for Garcia to feel good about himself. The project is as much about raising awareness as it is about the individual donations. Garcia’s daily blog posts serve to highlight and provide exposure for smaller non-profits like a Portland animal rescue or a school-building expedition in Mexico.

Garcia acknowledges that 365 days of disparate micro-donations won’t make as much of an impact as if he focused his attention (and money) on just a couple causes. Instead, the project acts as a kind of local charity tasting menu: By no means exhaustive but certainly expansive. Garcia hopes that in the different charities he features and supports, his users will find at least one charity that they love and will continue the chain of giving.

The outreach and positive messages have worked. According to his site, readers have donated more than $8,500 in support of Living Philanthropic’s mission. “The awareness and the power of the community that has built up around this grassroots idea is worth more than the actual money I can give,” Garcia said.

There are ways to donate even if you don’t have a ton of cash. Garcia’s tips for the everyday micro-philanthropist are: Start Locally: create a list of non-profits you want to support in your community.Start Small: You don’t need to go broke, donate what you can.Jar-to-jar: Set up a jar for loose change. At the end of the week, month or year, donate that amount to your chosen charity.Vetting: Make sure the non-profits are properly registered. You can use sites like Guidestar.org to do a quick, free search.Money Isn’t Everything: If you don’t have disposable cash, consider volunteering, raising awareness, or donating gently-used clothing and toys to local drives.The Great Opt-Out: After donating, ask to receive updates by e-mail rather than snail mail. You’ll keep your mailbox clean and save some trees while you’re at it.Give Anything: It doesn’t matter how small, every donation helps. If you miss a day, don’t give up.

What’s next? After this year is up, Garcia is launching YEAR TWO, a similar project for which he’ll donate all those daily savings to a different charity every month. The aim is to give those charities more time and ultimately more money.

What do you think of Garcia’s project? Can one person really hope to make a difference? Sound off in the comments.

Image courtesy of Flickr, CarbonNYC

View the original article here