#PINNED: Why you should give a portion of your monthly salary to charity

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We’re not going to lie. If you ask our fresh graduate selves to give or donate a percentage of our salary to charity or to a philanthropic cause, we definitely would have said no. After all, our broke selves just graduated and we were finally getting to earn our own money. Can’t we enjoy our hard-earned money for now and give back when we’re older?

While, yes, you will be rewarded spiritually if you give back, we think that people should realize that there’s more to get out of the good practice of setting aside your hard-earned money for charity.

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By allocating a specific percentage to your charity, you will have to budget the remaining money you have wisely. You will be more disciplined when it comes to your money, especially if you do it every month. Now, you don’t have to start with 10%. Start where you are comfortable and what’s from the heart. Your intention matters.

We are told that we have to give a specific percentage to charity every month. If we remember correctly, it should be 10% of your monthly salary. Ten percent is relative. It could be either a big or small amount. Regardless, it’s difficult to donate such a percentage if your only reason is because of duty.

Two, it helps you save.

Instead of spending your money on things you don’t really need, why not invest it in helping others? Select a cause close to your heart and spend some of your money there. Sometimes, it’s hard to hand over your hard-earned cash, right? If that’s the case, then spend your cash on groceries, clothes, medicine, or whatever it is that your charity needs.

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Three, it helps you sleep at night.

Nothing feels better than going to bed with a smile on your face. Pay it forward. Don’t do it because it feels like your duty. Do it because you want to. You’ll be surprised. In giving, you get more in return.

Try it for yourself. Trust us. Once you start, it will be hard to stop. Now, if you can’t find a cause to donate to, start your own cause. That’s what one of our writers did. The same writer shared with us the reason why he’d always donated to charity. It was all because of his grandfather.

One day, when I was still in college, I accompanied him to run an errand. While we were both waiting in the car, a foreigner knocked on the car window and begged for money to buy food. Without any hesitation, my grandfather took out P200 from his wallet and handed it over.

I asked my grandfather why he did that. I even convinced him that the foreigner scammed him. After all, the man was well-dressed and groomed. My grandfather calmly responded, “He was asking for help, which is not easy to do. I have more than what I need, so I have to give back. If you can go to people and help them before they reach out, then that’s much better.”

When I got my first salary, I followed my grandfather’s advice and reached out to someone in need. I bought a full meal for the man who begs every night near our village gate. It felt good to follow my grandfather’s advice but it felt even better because I felt like I did something right.

We know that all the news and stories about corruption and evil nowadays are making it harder and harder for us to go by our humane instincts and do the right thing. But this time is also the best time there is to band together, to rise to the occasion, and let our collective humanity prevail.

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Firas Abboud is a writer, editor, and college instructor. He believes in the transformative power of reading books and keeping a notebook. You can follow him on Twitter and Instagram.