Beauty on the Backroads

Stories of grace for life's unexpected turns

charitable giving

5 on Friday: Ways your money can make a difference

Chances are, you’re going to spend some money this month. Bills aside, many of us have a little extra to spend. So, if you knew that your money could do more than just buy stuff, would you spend it differently?

Here are five ways that your money can make a difference, in this country and around the world. dollars

1. This sustainable goods company provides a fair wage for women in Cambodia. You can read more about why I love them here. And until Sunday, if you spend $50 (not hard to do!) on the Website, you can get $10 off your purchase with the code “AutumnSale” at checkout. You can be sure that your purchase empowers women, provides a living for a family and has been responsibly made.

2. This filmmaker has a story to tell about trafficking in the U.S. but he needs our help to produce the film. Check out the giving options, which range from $15 to $500, and learn more about the project.

3. If you’re ready for a long-term commitment, consider sponsoring a child. I wholeheartedly embrace the work of Compassion International, and this month they are aiming to find sponsors for more than 3,000 children. And it’s a little more than a dollar a day.

4. For about a dollar a day, you can also be part of a team that rescues women and children from slavery. If you join one of the teams with a monthly commitment, the staff at The Exodus Road will provide you exclusive updates on real-life rescue happening in Southeast Asia.

5. Okay, so I know money is tight, too, and there are a TON of worthy causes out there. But you can also give any extra stuff you have sitting around the house. One organization that uses this giving method is Hope International. Check it out here. You can donate your stuff. Another company sells it and the proceeds benefit Hope, which offers small loans to entrepreneurs in impoverished countries, helping them learn financial responsibility while maintaining their dignity and acknowledging their creativity. It’s un-charity, as they call it.

Not an exhaustive list by any means, but if you’re looking to make a difference with your dollars, these are some quality options. Feel free to add more in the comments section!

How you can help others by selling your stuff

Garage sale season is gearing up. And if your neighborhoods are like the ones where I live, then it’s only a matter of weeks before garage sale season reaches its peak. Once school is out, it seems everybody and their neighbor takes the opportunity to declutter and make a little cash.

If you’re considering having a garage sale this year, let me offer you an opportunity through Help One Now to declutter AND help fund projects in Haiti and Uganda.

The details and resources are here, and you can read stories of how other people have hosted their sales.

Like this 7-year-old boy who wanted orphans in Haiti to have Christmas. So his family helped him organize a sale in November that raises $1,400.

Or this woman who decided she might not be able to do much but compared to what she was doing, she could do a whole lot more.


Here’s what’s true: We, Americans, have way too much stuff.

Just look at these statistics from the Self-Storage Association:

  • There are now approximately 49,940 “primary” self storage facilities in the United States as of year end 2011.
  • One in 10 US households (HH), or 10% (10.8 million of the 113.3 million US HH in 2011) currently rent a self storage unit; that has increased from 1 in 17 US HHs (6%) in 1995 – or an increase of approximately 65 percent in the last 15 years.
  • There is 7.3 sq.ft. of self storage space for every man, woman and child in the nation; thus, it is physically possible that every American could stand – all at the same time – under the total canopy of self storage roofing.
  • The self storage industry has been one of the fastest-growing sectors of the United States commercial real estate industry over the period of the last 35 years.

We have “houses” for our stuff, and worldwide, there are people who don’t have houses for themselves.

We can do better, can’t we?

So, if you’re planning a garage sale this summer, make it a win-win for you and global poverty by donating your garage sale earnings to one of Help One Now’s projects.

This site makes it easy to plan. So, grab some stuff, grab some friends and make a difference!