A few years ago, my husband’s aunt and uncle gave us Dave Ramsey’s Total Money Makeover. They had been in tremendous debt and used his methodology to become completely debt-free.

We took a few key lessons from the book, including how to create a cash flow chart for our family. But something else that stuck with me is Ramsey insists that charitable giving should be a planned expense that cannot be compromised. Of all the things in our budget that would be easiest (and has been easiest) to cut is charitable giving: In theory, it’s totally optional, so if we don’t do it, nobody will know. It’s not like skipping your mortgage payment; nobody puts a notice on your front door when you briskly walk past the Salvation Army Santa at Christmas.

And it’s especially easy not to give when there’s no actual person if front of you, asking for help.

I recently recorded an essay I wrote at the WFDD studio—our local NPR station. It was a fantastic experience (and they just so happened to be airing an interview with SimpliFi co-founder Brian Link at the time) but it really hit home how small an operation local public radio is, and how hard the dedicated few work to produce important programming. Public radio relies on donations to stay afloat. I realized how much I get from WFDD, and how little I give in return.

Certainly this is just one small, but important, example of why charitable giving is important. Friends who have lost children urge me to support the March of Dimes; my mother-in-law, dealing with a recurrence of breast cancer after almost two decades, is raising money for breast cancer research. A friend from high school, recently diagnosed with MS, is walking to support the National MS Society.

Part of why giving can be hard to prioritize is because you just don’t know where to start. My advice? Look around at your friends and family. You’re almost certain to find a cause.

Popularity: unranked [?]