My 11-year-old daughter did a bang-up job raising money for a charity supporting Israeli cancer patients. (Anyone who'll need a star development professional next decade should DM me to reserve a spot on the wait list.) She exhausted our Rolodex, made her pitch, and the donations rolled in, including a particularly large sum from a generous friend of mine. Unfortunately, it wasn't more than a few days later when our kids' school asked my wife and I to solicit our connections to raise money for a school scholarship fund. Going back to the well wasn't much fun, but most folks hadn't broken the bank when my daughter had called, and they were agreeable to give again. My generous friend politely declined when asked again, which led to us having the age-old discussion about whether it's better to give a lot of money one time or less money lots of times. I don't begrudge him for being in the former camp, but I will go to my grave believing it's better to say yes, even if it's a smaller yes, as often as you can. The impact of giving is felt as much or more by the donor than it is by the recipient. Every yes, even a smaller yes, accustoms the donor to giving. With every yes, even a smaller yes, the donor becomes a more generous person. We are not here to be lousy people who occasionally write big checks. (G-d forbid, I am not accusing my generous friend of this). We are here to be growing people who improve ourselves and the world around us. In conclusion, more than the donor does for the recipient, the recipient does for the donor. To that end, I apologize for not asking you for money. You'll have to wait until you make it into my Rolodex, at which time you can expect to hear from my daughter (who clearly is better at this than I am).
Jonah Halper
7mo
The Rambam says it’s better to give 1,000 coins to 1,000 people than to give 1,000 coins to one person. The reason is because it fundamentally changes the giver. It creates a positive habit of giving and that is most valuable of all.
I'm an acquired taste.
7mo1. As the mother of a former pediatric cancer patient here in Israel (he is now 10+ years "no evidence of disease," your daughter's work is amazing and so important. 💜 2. I have causes that I give a lot to, and I do try to always give *something* to people who show up at my door. I won't give over the phone to random causes, though.