Now I am no Pollyanna, but I do believe in the power of
giving back.
Growing up my father had the philosophy that you always
helped the under dog, someone who needed
a hand up. He called it a sense of
balance – in that you created a more balanced playing field for others and that
when you were fortunate, it was your role to help those less fortunate.
He grew up in poverty, with an alcoholic, abusive father who
he and his brothers turfed out when my father was a teenager. He dropped out of school at 14 to help earn
money but through hard work, grit and
determination, ended up a successful business man.
He never forgot his humble beginnings and was generous to a
fault, as I discovered at his funeral as people came forward telling me about
the loans he’d given them. You could say
he was a dragon before there was a denJ
So with that backdrop, it is not all that surprising that I
have tried to follow in his footsteps – giving my time, my expertise or
donations to good causes. While this has
been gratifying, it is not all altruistic, and in fact many of my volunteer
positions have actually led to paid jobs.
As a business owner, I have also found that there are
benefits to giving back, particularly from a brand perspective. Customers and staff all want to be part of an
organization that cares, that supports others.
Take TOMS. For each pair of shoes
you buy, Blake MyCoskie donates a pair to a child in a developing country. His shoes are comfortable, not that expensive
and so it is easy to support his business.
Recently on my birthday I was given a “Me to We” card where
a portion of the sales went to one of their causes. They provided a link so you could check in
and see just where the money was going.
All great marketing and a real feel-good moment all round,
When you give from your heart, you’re not doing it for the
accolades or potential awards you could receive, yet that is what happened to
me when I got involved with Opportunity International, a charity that gives
microfinance loans to women in developing countries.
I helped write a book Faces
of Opportunity which shared the stories of some of the women. It was a real
eye-opener for me in terms of the poverty most of the women faced, and one of
the women had died of AIDS by the time the book was published. That book raised over $20,000 for the cause,
and as a result I received the TIAW World of Difference Award, which in turn
led me to be invited to speak in Turkey, all expenses paid.
See what I mean. You
have no idea how much your efforts will not only impact others, but your own
life too.
I encourage you to step back and see what cause you can
align your business with. When it fits
with your mission and vision, perhaps as in my case, it made sense to support =
women in developing countries, because that is what I am doing here in
Canada. Or it be could that you want to have an impact
on the future generation? We’ve done
that too.
And just to be clear, it doesn’t have to be money. It could be your time or expertise. When you sit on a board, for example, you
broaden your networks and learn new skills.
Start small. But
start. I’ve found that when you focus on others, you live a
more fulfilled life and there’s a real buzz when you realize that you are
making a difference.
There is a quote I like “All that you give into the lives of
others, comes back into your own.” How
true that is.
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