Guilt Free Giving

November 20, 2018

I was having a conversation with one of my oldest friends today (he’s not “old”, we’ve just known each other for a long time).

We were talking about the adverts we all see on TV.

You know, the ones that have images of the most horrendous conditions.

The music in the background is haunting.

The image of a starving child pulls at the heart strings.

OMG – this is happening, and it’s 2018.

This is wrong.

How can I be living in such relative opulence?

What did I do to deserve the privileged life I live?

Is that how you feel when you see these adverts?

They are designed to make you feel guilty.

You shouldn’t.

We can’t help the life we are born into and we shouldn’t feel guilty for that.

I have absolutely no problem with giving to charity.  In fact, I think that if we’re able to give, we should.

But what I have a problem with is the way that most charities focus on guilting us into giving…it just leaves a really bad taste and we do it almost begrudgingly.  And that’s not sustainable.

We all know that there’s a whole load of really shit stuff going on in the world.

It’s just how it is.

So why don’t we focus on the good we can do by giving?

Oh I don’t know…maybe it’s because negativity sells.

Really?  Does it?

I reckon we’ve had enough of negative giving.

I think we should focus on the difference we can make and NOT feel guilty about how things are. 

We have set up Jedz to be a giving organisation as part of what we do.

But here’s a promise for you:

“We will NEVER make you feel guilty about the way things are. Instead, we’ll focus on the difference you can make”

There you go – If you ever see us making you feel guilty, call us out on it.

Now go buy a bottle and feel good about it :-) 

 

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Also in Do The Right Thing