Life is the most precious possession any person will ever have. Life here on earth is spent producing some outcome through work and/or play. The time one spends here on earth is limited. So life on earth can be considered limited and highly valued. Although people are paid for their time here, it is commonly understood that a person's life is significantly higher in value than any payment for work they may receive. With this in mind, we propose that anything given by a person contains high value based on the life used to acquire the donated item.
A charitable donation, or gift of a person's time or money, is a resource containing a portion of the stated value. Understanding the inherent value in a person's charitable gift will affect how such transactions are approached. Let us first consider a charitable gift from the donor's standpoint:
- A donor who views their charitable gift as a portion of their life will care to give toward a meaningful endeavor with a high likelihood of a successful outcome for those in need.
- A donor with this view will likely pass on unnecessary and ineffective charitable giving. They will scrutinize a potential beneficiary to ensure their gift will be used wisely and according to the proposed purposes.
- A donor who values their charitable gift as they do their life will follow up on their donation to verify it was used as proposed. Having confirmed their contribution was used correctly, the donor will likely engage with the charity again because trust has been built.
From the charitable organization's standpoint:
- A nonprofit that views a donor's charitable gift as a portion of the donor's life will use an appropriate level of honor when handling each gift received.
- Also, the receiving organization will provide the donor with transparent reporting on the conducted charitable outreach. No limits will be placed on follow-up with the donor, regardless of the gift size.
And how about the final recipient of the donor's charitable gift? How would a life value viewpoint affect their approach to a charitable contribution?
- A recipient who values a donor's charitable gift according to the life represented in it would receive it with a absolute joy and great reverence.
- Gratitude will be felt receiving such a gift, understanding that it is never a small matter for a person to give or receive a portion of another's life.
By the way, we at eMite call that portion of life a Mite, and our goal is always to treat it with the highest honor and greatest level of stewardship possible. Give your Mite today and see how we do it!