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ASU Lodestar Center Blog

Making Philanthropy a Lifestyle, 365 Days a Year


So, I'll admit it. I have a rough time donating to nonprofits. At this point in my life, I only give money to one nonprofit organization, and I do that through automatic monthly payments, with little thought at all to the whole process. I always have excuses -- I'm too busy! I'm a grad student! I'll get it together and shape up next month!

But what if I did make it a priority? What if I decided that, every single day, I'd devote a little bit of time and a little bit of a care to a different nonprofit organization? Well, that’s just what Carlo Garcia did.

In 2010, Carlo made a commitment - to give to a different charity each day for an entire year. That's 365 charities in 365 days. A native Chicagoan, Carlo cites many reasons for his journey on his blog. He explains, "I thought to myself, it's not important how much you give, as long as you give on a regular basis. So, I decided I am going to dedicate myself to giving every day for a year and documenting my journey, so that others may be able to follow and if they feel inspired, take on their own mission of giving. I also believe that we as youth generations need to become the leaders of a new movement of philanthropy. It is our responsibility to set the standards of giving for future generations."

And he's certainly got the right idea. Carlo's mission made me step back and rethink my own approach. How am I impacting my community, and why am I so gosh darn lazy when it comes to helping out local nonprofits?

In the past year, with the help of donations from his fans, Carlo has donated over $4,000 to charities across the nation. For him, philanthropy isn't an afterthought - it's a lifestyle. He blogs about his choices, twitters his journeys, and shares stories with his Facebook fans. He's integrated a philosophy to live philanthropically into his everyday routine.

So, with his inspiration, I've realized I can live without that newfangled gadget or all the pricey chai lattes, and instead I can live with giving back to my community. Sure, it definitely takes commitment, but Carlo proves we can absolutely do it. So, even though I probably won't be donating to a different organization every single day of the week, he definitely shows me how we can all make our lives philanthropic, too.

What's your giving strategy? Are you loyal to one nonprofit (or more)? Or do you like to switch up the organizations you give to? Sound off in the comments section!

For more information about Carlo and his mission, check out his blog. To see how Carlo has inspired others, search twitter for #GiveEveryDay.


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