Yes, I did it again! Just like 2022, 2021 and 2020, I donated a one-month salary. And because this year I didn’t donate as regularly throughout the year, I had quite some money to spend to fulfil my pledge. And I have to say donating over 1.000€ in a month when the Xmas presents are already draining the wallet wasn’t that easy.
It helped that I had the donations calculated into my yearly budget and while I didn’t have the money in December, I had it saved up.
A psychological backlash I experienced was that with more income, the amount of donations grows. My first reflex was to find excuses and not donate more. Well, I sat with that for a bit, explored the irrational reflex, dug into the illusion of controlling the future and found guidance and strength in my core values. And yeah, how nice that with more income, I am also able to donate more. 🙂
In 2023 in total I donated more than a one-month salary.
Here are some of the donations I made
- Several organisations supporting homeless people 1.000€ (ASB, Kältebus, Hanseatic Help, Freiheitsfonds, Hinz&Kunzt…)
- UNICEF 250€
- Sea-Watch (supporting member) 400€
- Amadeu-Antonio-Stiftung (supporting member) 120€
- BUND Hamburg (supporting member) 72€
- Several smaller donations to a wide range of initiatives
Some things I still calculate in but technically aren’t donations, for example are
- Kiva
- Patreon for example, Sonya Renee Taylor, Mastodon, Amanda Palmer, No White Saviours or Working Class History
Something I want to highlight is that it’s hard to choose. So much suffering and so much need for support, and just because I donate to one thing, it doesn’t mean that I find that more important than something else. I can’t make a list of what’s a more worthy cause than something else and yet with my donations in a way I have to.
Well, what’s most essential, is to not let this thought turn into an excuse to donate less. I won’t heal the world, but I can do a bit here and there.
The featured image is from our visit to the homeless gallery — a very touching project where homeless people condensed their life stories into a picture with the help of AI.
What are your thoughts? Do you have a “donation strategy or goal? Share your ideas directly with me!