I’m starting a new job in September. It’s my first job after graduate school, and it’s a grown-up job, with all kinds of cool stuff, like health insurance. It also comes with a stable income that will let me put into practice something I call “community tithing.”
The word “tithe” is most commonly used in America today by Christian churches, who usually use it to mean giving money to the church itself. However, a similar concept exists in other religions as well, and extend beyond the walls of the place of worship. For instance, the Orthodox Jewish tradition of ma’aser kesafim and the Islamic practice of zakāt both require a person to donate 10% of his or her income to charity and towards helping the poor. I don’t consider myself a follower of any of these faiths, but I do think there is a lot to be said for committing to regularly donating a part of one’s income to helping one’s community. While money certainly isn’t everything, I think making financial contributions can help remind us that we actually don’t need to spend every dollar on ourselves (on things we don’t actually need) and to remind us that we do exist in relationship to others. Plus, I believe that generosity creates a positive cycle that does not only benefit other people, but ourselves, also, in the long run.
Community tithing was part of a New Year’s resolution I made in 2010, a year when I was only working part time and made only $6000 for the whole year (I was only paying $200 in rent at the time, so it wasn’t nearly as awful as it sounds – but still.) It seems like a person who makes that much money wouldn’t have anything left to give away, but I resolved to find $20 every month to donate to an organization or cause. It turned out to be something that was actually, well, fun. One month, I read the “wish list” on the webpage of our local animal shelter and bought them $20 worth of paper towels and milk bones, which I got to personally deliver. Another month I spent the money on fundraisers, which ended up giving me something in return: $5 to the bake sale for the nursing program at the local community college (two cookies and a brownie), and $15 of canned food for the food drive competition at work – which my “team” ended up taking second place in – and so we ended up getting a little placard and cake. I also made donations online to organizations like the Red Cross and our local AIDS hospice. Sure, $20 isn’t much — but it was still enough to buy enough paper towels to keep the floor dry for at least a week at the animal shelter.
The word “tithe” comes from the old English word for ten, and means one-tenth. One-tenth of my new salary will equate to a lot more than $20 per month.
Because I’m moving to a new place for my job, though — and I own virtually nothing of my own (no bed – actually no furniture of any kind; no dishes or pots and pans; etc), all of which I’ll have to get, and I have to put down a large payment on a place to live (first, last, and deposit), AND I’ll have to buy a car (having a way to get back and forth from multiple work sites in a requirement of my job), giving away ten percent of my income immediately isn’t realistic. Still, I want to have a plan in place so that it becomes a habit. Even a small amount of money will help make it a habit . I get my first paycheck on or near October 1, so I’m going to plan to start a gradual donation plan beginning then, at, again, just $20, but building over time.
I’ve already started making a list of some of the places I want to donate money to in the coming months. Some of them are places that have helped me – organizations that were there for me when I had nothing – like a certain hospital’s charity care program that paid off my $100,000 bill, in full, when I was in critical condition there four years ago without a dollar to my name, and support groups who have helped me and people I care about. Some are for causes I believe in – particularly around education. And others are places and programs in the town where I’m moving as a part of helping to strengthen what will be my local community. Below is a draft of my gradual Community Tithing plan, so far, with a few structure/ideas about where the money should go, though these might change, once I do more research — and obviously, there’s a lot more to fill in! I’m going to keep working on it and thinking about it. But here’s where I’m at for now:
October 10 – $20.00
- $15.00 to my local chapter of the Red Cross, earmarked for victims of house fires (this program pays for things like hotel vouchers, blankets, and food).
- $5.00 to donate however I want, such as local fundraising efforts, fundraising campaigns at work, etc.
November 10 – $40.00
- $20.00 to The Trevor Project (an organization committed to helping prevent LGBT teenage suicide).
December 10 – $60.00
- $20.00 to a local/regional museum that helps preserve local history or culture
January 10, 2014 – $80.00
- $75.00 to the transgender support group that helped me with my gender transition starting in 2006. Though they ask for donations at every meeting for those who can, I was unable to make any kind of donation for several years.
- $5.00 to donate however I want
February 10 – $100.00
- $50 of in-kind donations to my local YWCA’s domestic violence shelter (they have a list on their website of things they need)
March 10 – $100.00
- $100.00 to the Charity Care foundation at the hospital that helped to pay for my life to be saved when I couldn’t afford it. (This is only 1% of the amount they paid.)
April 10 – $120.00
- $40.00 of in-kind donations to my local no-kill animal shelter.
May 10 – $120.00
- $40.00 to my soon-to-be local Relay for Life event, which happens in June.
June 10 – $140.00
- $40.00 to a local food bank (I’m doing this in summer because food banks often have the most shortages during spring and summer months — everybody wants to donate in the Christmas season, but forgets about it after New Year’s).
July 10 – $140.00
- $75.00 to a college scholarship fund of my choice (there are a lot out there; this will require more research.)
August 10 – $160.00
September 10 – $160.00
Amorphous Amphibian 