Opinion: The importance of matching one’s values, passions, and life experiences to a charity that fully supports your goal

It didn’t feel that long ago that we were all throwing money at the bushfires. Then covid hit and we worried about the impact of the virus on the vulnerable. Shortly after that the Black Lives Matter campaign drew our attention to racial inequality and we were all desperate to support reconciliation.

We all care. We really care. But before we have the chance to take action, another cause is ready to take our attention, asking for our help.

Has giving to charity become a fast fashion? Are the causes that concern us dictated more by what’s trendy than by what is true to our own hearts?

It’s easy to get caught up and race down a path of superficial gestures of goodwill, but is this actually what we want our giving to look like? What do we really care about?

To get the most from your giving, it’s essential to focus on your own values, passions, and life experiences. Giving to charity can be overwhelmingly rewarding, but only if you do it with thought, care and attention. To get fulfilment from giving, you need to understand the charity and what they actually do.

“But I have no time,” you explain. “It’s all too hard”.

It’s time to reframe the way you think about charity. Today, there is an increasing desire to express yourself not through the material items you possess, but through your beliefs, actions and integrity.

The pathway that leads to joy, learning and satisfaction, is one where you ignore the noise. You get behind a cause and charity that reflects you. By understanding what you want to achieve from giving, you will be able to feel more confident in your donations. Not only that, you will be able to truly embody the person you want to be.

Seedling is Australia’s first and only charity matching service. Seedling’s qualified advisors learn about a donor’s values, passions, life experiences and tailor a charitable giving opportunity specific to them.

Jessica Bowman

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Jess Bowman is an experienced analyst with a passion for finding great charities. In 2015, she founded The Good Cause Co., the first website in Australia to provide comprehensive, independent reviews of Australian charities. The Good Cause Co. also provided donor services, placing over $15 million dollars of philanthropic funding.

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