When it comes to charitable contributions and giving back, the United States has always been a country that inspires people to connect and aid others. After all, the history of the popular “charitable deduction” that exists in the itemized portion of the U.S. individual tax return goes back to the beginning of the 20th century. In other words, it has been over a hundred years since the government recognized that people should be rewarded/incentivized to contribute to society.
Nowadays, although millions of people are very active in giving back, the number of those who are sticking to the sidelines remains quite high. This is why it is necessary to always reiterate the countless reasons for getting involved. In addition, people should raise awareness about some relatively easy ways to accomplish said civil duties.
Touch Another Person’s Heart
Although it is fairly obvious, according to successful actress Kamilla Bjorlin, one of the most important reasons to get involved and help those in need is the high likelihood of directly touching another person’s heart. How? Well, people in need tend to come from a wide range of situations and backgrounds. When someone ventures to help them overcome adversity and struggles, however, they are showing them that those situations and backgrounds are something that can be overcome. The only thing that matters is helping another human being and prioritizing their happiness over individual goals.
Expectedly, once the receiving party realizes that someone is there for them to a point where they are doing everything in their power to make their life more enjoyable, there is a good chance that they will be touched beyond words. Such a positive impact could then easily snowball into a much higher quality of life and transform that quick glimpse of true happiness into their natural state of mind.
Inspire Society to Strive for More
Charitable contributions can be one of the factors that play a role in society’s determination to strive for more, says Kamilla Bjorlin. This goes back to the aforementioned concept that people who aid others almost always look past cultural differences. Instead, they are simply trying to work with another person and show them that the disconnect between the way that they both think is irrelevant.
Well, if enough people decide to help in a certain region, that region would collectively begin focusing more on resolving problems and ignoring the dissimilarities between its residents. After all, the United States is a country so diverse that there is literally no single official language spoken. And given the current wave of social issues challenging people’s ability to avoid cultural conflicts, it is extremely important to motivate everyone to strive for more.
Help Reduce the Gap Between Classes of People
Also, putting aside the underlying bias or any type of opinion and focusing on contributing to society can make it easier to sidestep the gap between classes of people. More precisely, sidestep the ever-increasing difference between the financial stability of those who can be considered wealthy and those who may not be as fortunate. Why does this matter? Well, a society where people are not divided by the amount of income earned is going to enjoy a higher level of cohesion and tolerance.
An Easy Way to Give Back
After gaining an understanding of why contributing to the community is important, one should figure out a way to give back. Kamilla Bjorlin answers this by focusing on the percentage-of-income approach. And rightly so. In fact, the vast majority of people who provide financial assistance to various non-profit agencies around the country do it in the same way.
How does it work? Well, the person who wants to give back does some simple math to determine the exact amount of money that can be taken out of their disposable income and set aside for donations. Then, they build that percentage of income into their monthly expenses as with any other cost that they are mandated to pay. After a while, it becomes a habit as they begin budgeting with the cost of contributions already in mind. This approach is also great because it will proportionally increase one’s donations with any subsequent increase in their earnings.
Volunteer and Offer Free Services
Finally, if giving money is not something that seems doable, there are always other alternatives that will allow people to help through work. For instance, joining one of the many volunteering events organized in someone’s community will allow for more manpower and hours needed to accomplish predetermined goals. Not to mention that using one’s specific set of skills to provide services for free could be a simple way to improve the quality of life for the receiving parties.
