Giving & Sharing
Choosing to give some away: why people do it, and why it doesn’t have to be money.
Hatchlings · Ages 5–6
Giving is choosing to let someone else have something instead of you.
It might be sharing your snack. It might be letting someone else go first. It might be putting a coin in a collecting tin.
The odd thing about giving is that it usually feels good. Not always straight away, and sometimes it's a bit hard to let go, but afterwards it nearly always does.
And you don't need money to give. Helping, sharing and being kind all count, and they cost nothing at all.
Try this: Do one kind thing today that costs nothing. Hold a door, share a toy, help tidy up. Notice how it feels afterwards.
Fledglings · Ages 7–8
Giving some away is a choice people make on purpose, and it doesn't have to be money.
Some people give money to a charity: an organisation set up to help with something particular, like feeding people, looking after animals, or finding cures.
But money is only one way. Charities also need people's time: sorting donations, running events, doing sponsored things. For plenty of people, time is what they have more of, and it's just as useful.
Not everyone can give money, and nobody should feel bad about that. Families have different amounts, and giving isn't a competition. What matters is noticing that helping is something you can choose.
Try this: Find out what one charity actually does. Pick one whose name you've heard. What problem are they trying to solve? Would you rather help them with money, or with time?
High Flyers · Ages 9–10
Giving is one of the few things you can do with money that isn't about you.
There are three things you can do with money: spend it, keep it, or give it away. Most people do all three in different proportions, and there's no correct split.
A charity is an organisation that exists to serve a cause rather than make a profit for owners. In the UK they're registered and must publish what they do with the money, which means you can actually check, and it's worth doing. Some spend nearly everything on the cause. Some spend a lot on raising more money, which isn't automatically wrong, but is worth knowing.
Giving time is often worth more than a small amount of money, especially to a small charity. A skill nobody there has beats another £10.
One honest thing: giving isn't a duty and it isn't a competition. Plenty of people can't spare money, and plenty who can, don't. None of this is meant to make anyone feel guilty. What to do with money is a real question, and “give some away” is one of the real answers.
Try this: Find a charity's annual report. They're public. Work out how much of every £1 reaches the cause. Does that change what you think of them? Should it?
What's next
The next zone in Money World is Money Safety: spotting when something isn't what it claims to be.