Nick Foy, CFP®
nick@greenwaywealth.com
As a firm, we want to make a point of highlighting those organizations that are receiving support from us in the form of charitable dollars. As we encourage our clients to consider being more formulaic about their own giving, it’s important that we develop great relationships with great non-profits.
Here are three that mean the most to us:
Convoy was founded in 1994 and is has thus far served more than 100 million people throughout the world. They’re a one stop shop, with a passion to feed the world through their children’s feeding initiatives, community outreaches, and disaster response.
Convoy has done humanitarian work in 115 countries, and has been active in providing disaster response, conducting community outreach events, and directing nutritional programs in 48 states.
They’ve also received 15 consecutive 4-star ratings from Charity Navigator, which is an incredible accomplishment.
We’re grateful for the work they do all over the world, and we’re glad to support their mission.
I first became familiar with City of Refuge Ministries (CORM) when I interviewed Allie in the fall of 2017. Her Mom had worked with and supported CORM for many years before she passed away in 2015, and her family has a close relationship with the organization.
CORM works in Ghana to not only rescue children out of child slavery but also to prevent children from being sold. They do this by empowering single mothers who are vulnerable to selling their children.
In addition, they work to educate children in Ghana through their private school, Faith Roots International Academy, which works to offer a high quality education to orphaned, abandoned, and trafficked children of Ghana.
CORM’s purpose is unique and their mission is laudable, and I’m glad that Allie introduced me to them.
It didn’t take long for Levine Children’s Hospital (LCH) to establish a national reputation as a hospital that offers world-class healthcare to the children of the Carolinas.
I never thought I’d be interested in supporting a children’s hospital, until it impacted our family when my son was born without functioning kidneys. He spent three months in the NICU at LCH before coming home on dialysis. At 18 months of age, his Aunt Whitney donated a kidney to him, which has allowed him to live a full and healthy life.
Theo is now six, and is about to enter first grade.
Without LCH in our backyard, it’s likely that we would’ve had to move to a different city to find a pediatric kidney program that was able to care for him. Instead, we drive a mile or so to the hospital to meet with his physicians and medical team.
The importance of having great medical care close to home became real for us, and it’s inspired me to give time and money toward making the hospital even better so that other families in our community can also receive great care without having to travel far.
Make Giving a Priority
The typical household gives out of what’s leftover: Money comes in, gets spent, and then debt is incurred trying to spend more. Then, once everything is spent, people decide it’s time to think about saving and giving.
Households who are pursuing financial contentment reverse that order, and instead give first, then save, in very specific percentages. Then, they spend what’s leftover.
As it turns out, not only does giving first benefit others, it’s really a selfish ploy. Spending money on others actually makes us happier than spending it on ourselves.
So, find those organizations that are meaningful for you, and support them on a recurring basis with specific dollar amounts. Involve your kids in the process so they can see the impact you’re having, and develop long-term relationships with those places that are most significant to you and your family.