80. The Five Types of Givers (Part 2)

Welcome to Spend Donate Invest! I go by GG, that’s short for Genet Gimja. For a long time, I thought about my activism, my allyship, my values driven lifestyle as being almost completely separate from my money.

And then it hit me. Wait a minute, why can’t my money align with my values?

Fundamentally, I think we need systematic change, huge overhauls to achieve the kind of change that our people and our planet deserve. And I want to continue to advocate for those changes.

But in the meantime, what can we, as individuals, do? When it comes to our money?

That’s the topic I’m exploring here on this show. So if you ever have a question you want covered on the show, just email it to spend donate invest at gmail dot com. In the past, questions have come in about getting started with donating, socially responsible investing, and shopping sustainably. The best topics come from you all so please send in whatever you’ve been thinking about.

So in the past almost 2 years, I’ve had a lot of conversations with folks who are all across the spectrum of giving. People who rarely think about donating, people who have come from long legacies of giving and are continuing it, all kinds of folks. I love these conversations. And this is completely unscientific, but I feel like there’s a pattern emerging. I have seen 5 types of givers.

Recently, I talked about these archetypes, maybe you saw yourself in one or more of them. I think I saw myself in two of them. Today I want to share some suggestions that might be helpful based on what type of giver you are. But first let me recap really quickly what the 5 archetypes were:

1) the skeptic. Whether they are skeptical about how much their money will really help, or whether we can trust nonprofits, or maybe their issue is the idea that we should help people at all, they are skeptical.
2) the overwhelmed. This is the person who feels on an intuitive level that they can help by donating, but life just gets in the way. They are just so busy. Or they get stuck in the analysis paralysis in trying to make the perfect donation, so they end up not giving.
3) the flighty. Not a lot of consistency with this type of giver because they get distracted, or they don’t have a clear giving goal or they don’t have the systems in place to follow through with their good intensions. 
4) old faithful. This is the giver who has a plan, a routine, they have set it and forget it. Their giving is predictable and frequent.
5) the firefighter. This is the giver who jumps into action when they discover that someone needs help. They also tend to bring others along.

So, here are some suggestions and episode recommendations based on your type.

Are you a SKEPTIC? This is a tough one to get out of, I think sometimes this deep mistrust of nonprofits can come from your messaging and programming as a child. It can come from betrayal, it can come from your real life disappointments and experiences. Either way, I want to suggest feeding yourself more of the positive data to counter some of the negative info that is rattling around in your mind. Yes, we are wired to click on the negative news headlines, but I want you to intentionally also click on the positive headlines. Has a disease been eradicated in some country? Click on that article, read it. Read and reread the paragraphs where the collaborative efforts that led to the success are highlighted. I want to encourage you also to roll up your sleeves and go volunteer. Seeing the work done up close can make it more real and harder to disbelieve. I also want to suggest a few episodes that can reframe some thoughts you might be having if you find yourself fixated on metrics like overhead costs. That would be episode 13 why donors shouldn’t worry about admin costs and episode 8 how to find charities and what to ask, and you know what I’m also going to recommend episode 43 which was in response to a listener letter from a person who was really skeptical of the way their parent’s donated and was sort of questioning what their own relationship to giving could be as an adult. 

Are you OVERWHELMED? I think the key here is going to be not trying to find the time to pick the perfect place to donate. Not trying to spend a ton of time thinking about exactly how much you should be donating. And I also want to encourage you to set up some simple routines and systems that make it easy for you to set it and forget it. I want to encourage you to set a timer, set 20 minutes and write about the things that keep you up at night. Climate change, hunger, homelessness, racial inequity, police violence, what’s your thing? Of course, you probably care about several if not all of these issues, but is there one that you find yourself really gripped by? When you see an article in the newspaper about it, you already feel that stirring in your heart. Or maybe you can’t even read about it because it is just way too sensitive of an issue for you. Pick that one. Set a timer for this exercise, because you are busy and because it can be overwhelming. So I’m recommending 20 minutes. It would be fun to do this with a partner or a friend but honestly who has the time to schedule something like that. So just do it next time you’re early to an appointment or in between meetings, while you’re taking a lunch break. If you have natural times of the year when you tend to ponder these bigger life questions about your impact on the world, then that might be the perfect time to do this short exercise. Your birthday, the beginning of a new year or a new season. Maybe a religious holiday that really prioritizes generosity and giving. Those are perfect natural moments to do this short exercise. Now that you have a cause identified, the second step is going to be to find a place to give. If you have a friend that tends to be plugged in on this stuff, please reach out to them. Reach out to me if you want, I can be that friend to you LOL. If you are affiliated with a social group like an alumni group, check there. Or you may want to do a google search. A specific google search that limits your results so you’re not getting buried in pages of results. If you do the 20 minute exercise and realize that homelessness is going to be your focus, then you can search for something like homelessness in Oakland nonprofits. See what pops up. Give yourself a deadline to pick a nonprofit. Then I really want to encourage you to set it and forget it. For example, you might say, OK I am going to give 5% of my after tax income. Divide that by 12 and set a monthly recurring donation to that nonprofit. Put a note in red on your calendar for 12 months from today to reconsider whether you want to continue this for another year or not. Or set it for 6 months if you just can’t commit to longer than that right now. But setting it and forgetting it is going to be key if you are overwhelmed. And putting some limits in terms of how long you’re going to allow yourself to deliberate before takign action. In terms of episode recommendations for the Overwhelmed, I want to recommend episode 2 how much should I donate? Also episode 5 So many causes, so few dollars. Episode 20 Overwhelmed by donating. 

Are you FLIGHTY? Ok so this is the giver who in their heart and mind they want to give, they intend to give, but it doesn’t translate into actually happening. I can relate so much to this one. Sigh. I think for the flighty giver, it will be helpful to look for opportunities to automate giving somehow. Of course, setting it and forgetting it might work very well. Or you might take an approach where you lay out the exact times during the year that you will donate. The anniversary of a loved one’s passing, giving tuesday, christmas day, Eid, your child’s birthday, maybe there are other day’s that are more meaningful for you. My point is just to pick a few, let’s say 3 or 4 special dates when you know for sure that you will give. That can allow you to have some flexibility and spontaneity in your giving but also know for sure these are the big giving days for me this year. And then when you do your end of year financial review, taking stock to see how your plan worked, or not. For Flighty givers I also think giving as a part of a community can be an excellent option. And I think I have an episode on that. It is…Episode 28 How to start a giving circle. I really think that could be perfect for the flighty giver. Giving circles are fun but also build in a little bit of structure and accountability, but in a fun way. I also want to recommend Episode 14 when your donations just aren’t stacking up. Episode 45 Creating a family mission statement. Episode 50 Giving more strategically

Are you OLD FAITHFUL? This is the giver that just has an uncomplicated relationship with giving, you don’t even hear them talk about it, because it is just a routine part of their life like brushing their teeth. They don’t research what kind of brush and ask friends for recommendations all the time on the toothpaste they should be using. No, they know how much they will give, they know who they will give to, and they know when and how they will give. More than likely they have set it and forget it. Odds are high that they come from a family legacy of giving. Man, you’re all set! In terms of suggestions I might have for this type of giver, since you are such a seasoned giver, I think I might be able to suggest exposing you to other causes or other modes of giving that might interest you in case you want to spice it up now and then or refine your giving even more, take it to the next level. So I want to suggest Episode 25 What should I be reading? There are some great books that can really take your thinking to the next level on your giving and just overall aligning your values as a person with what you’re doing with your money. And so, in that same vein, I want to suggest Episode 56 What to do if your company’s 401K goes against your values and  Episode 51 Activist Investing. Those are both related to socially responsible investing. Which could be an amazing next step if you already feel like you have a good giving routine that works for you.

And finally, are you a FIREFIGHTER? You are the one who will raise your hand and help when something awful happens, when you find out about help that is needed. We need firefighters! If everyone is a set it and forget it type of donor, I don’t know what would happen, we need this type of as needed assistance. And you can still be thoughtful about how you give in these types of emergency scenarios. For example in Episode 64 Giving After a Disaster there are some suggestions on how to think about this type of giving. I am also going to recommend a couple of episodes that were specifically about how you might think about your giving in response to two specific issues, that was Episode 38 Funding Reproductive Freedom Episode 39 Helping with the Baby Formula Shortage.


I could go on and on but I feel like that was a lot for today. So let’s recap.
1) the skeptic. I know you’re going to click on the headlines when you see that there was some nonprofit fraud, I click on them too. But also click on the headlines when donations actually help. Go out and volunteer, roll your sleeves up and see what nonprofits need money to help. And I want to suggest episodes 13, 8 and 43.
2) the overwhelmed. Set a timer for 20 minutes to pick a cause. Start with a simple estimate of how much to give. Ask your plugged in contacts where to give. Try setting up recurring estimates for 6 months or 12 months and use a calendar reminder to reconsider after that time. I want to suggest episodes 2, 5, and 20 with specific tips on quickly and efficiently making decisions related to your giving. 
3) the flighty. Pick 3 or 4 dates per year that you do your giving. Or create a giving circle with your friends to build in the fun and spontaneity but also structure and accountability to make sure you actually send those donations that you intend to. I want to recommend episodes 14, 50, and 45. 
4) old faithful. You have a great routine set. Maybe you want to spice it up once in a while or to refine your giving further. Maybe you want to think about other ways you can line up your money and your values, since you’ve figured out a really good routine for your giving. So to that end, I am going to suggest episodes 25, 56, and 51.
5) the firefighter. We can count on you to lead the charge when something happens, I want to encourage you to think about ways to widen your disaster giving, so I am going to recommend Episode 64. And then if you were called to help with funding reproductive freedom and baby formula, I am going to recommend episodes 38 and 39.

As always, I love hearing from you so please feel free to email anytime at spend donate invest at gmail dot com with your thoughts on your giving type and if you were inspired to try new approaches today. Or other topics you’d like to hear. I’m around! Lots of good stuff coming around in the next few months. Please share this episode with someone who you think might share your giving archetype or someone who just loves personality quizzes in general, they might enjoy thinking through this. That’s all for today, let’s talk again soon!