NVR Toolkit – Give Back
From the inbox:
Q: I read your post on being grateful and, honestly, felt a little sick inside. I was raised 1) to want things and 2) to get the highest paying job I possibly could. My family places so much value on the kind of money you make and what it can get you out of life. Like Cat, who you wrote about awhile back, I really need to break away.
I feel fortunate to be well off, but I can’t say I feel grateful, if that makes any sense. I want a truly rich life. One where I see the world, learn about differences and somehow make a difference. I am beyond stuck. Where do you suggest I start?
There’s no better feeling than giving back.
Nothing, absolutely nothing, keeps us more firmly entrenched in our awesome NVR life than giving back. For us, it’s a natural extension of being grateful. Our personal experiences, such as traveling around the globe, have opened our eyes to a world that’s much vaster than our own self interest.
I mean, come on… 1 in 6 people around the globe don’t have adequate nutrition. A huge percentage of people don’t have the opportunity to receive an education. Additionally, we live in a world that is plagued with inequality and human rights violations. These are the things that we remain mindful of as we pursue our NVR life. Heck, these are the reasons why we pursue the life we have.
We owe it to the less fortunate to live the best life possible and to be a voice for the ghosts of society.
Using ourselves as a case study.
As we say elsewhere on this site… Life can be rough; there’s a lot of pain out there. We have to watch out for one another and work to expand the circle of opportunity by advocating for change and empowering/enabling others to live deliberately. In the interest of championing a world where everyone can live a dignified life, we are especially passionate about the eradication of poverty.
We’re about to take off on a big adventure, visiting several places we’re interested in (and accomplishing a mileage run in the process). Our stream of travel kicks off in Washington, DC where we’re meeting up with the folks from CARE International to advocate for the poor on Capital Hill.
Activities like this get us out of our own life – out of our own heads. Fighting for the rights of the voiceless is a way that we gain perspective.
Volunteer your time.
It all starts with being grateful. When you’re in that mindset, it’s much easier to think about how you might best give back. We’re big on being grateful and giving our time and energy to the stuff we’re passionate about. For starters, consider:
- What are you good at? Often you can find opportunities to volunteer your skill set to worthwhile organizations/people.
- What are you most grateful for? Who can you share that with?
- What causes really capture your attention? Search for organizations that address those causes.
- If time, money etc. didn’t matter, what kind of work would you do? The answers you come up with can often point you towards the gift(s) you are most ready to share.
The idea is to take that first step. Big or small.
I completely agree, volunteering is one of the most rewarding things you can do, whether at home or on the road. We’re off to Thailand next month to work on our first book, and we’re planning on visiting about 40 different organizations to include them.
I think sometimes people get lost in google searches, and discouraged from volunteering because there are so many groups that charge thousands of dollars to volunteer. But free (or super low cost) programs are out there too!
Great point, Kelly. When we were in South America, especially, we met a lot of people who were paying A LOT of money to volunteer. There are a lot of low/no cost options. Nice idea to include that in your book.
I think people see volunteering as giving part of themselves but I find you get so much more in return.
So true!
By giving, your reward is immeasurable. It’s the way the world should work.
Well said, Ken!
When we think of giving back we often think of the societies in poor countries – often neglecting to consider much those on our own doorstep. We are all good at something, and have that gift of giving that talent!
Good call, John! Your own community is the place to start.
We encourage people to find their passion FIRST and then work on how they can apply it. It makes change/growth much less overwhelming.
I joined the board of the KiBO Foundation – which is all about trying to help the youth of Uganda learn a set of IT, communication & leadership skills so they can get a job. But they must give back to their communities too as part of the program – Africans giving back to fellow Africans. Some of our students have lived on the streets and have nothing but still have to help others even less fortunate. At the end of the program they feel SO empowered and grateful for what they have. It’s a very powerful model.One set of students raised enough money ($375) to buy land for orphans so they could grow their own food and be self sufficient.
Needless to say volunteering on the board makes me feel good too.
Models that build community are especially awesome. We align ourselves with a couple of great organizations that focus on building infrastructure within poor communities. That way, as you suggest in your example, community members feel directly involved (and motivated to be a part of positive change!).
We’ll check out KiBO.
“the more we take the less we become, the fortune of one man means less for some.” ~sarah mclachclan.
one of the most inspiring posts i’ve ever read. i may not come from a rich country but i do hope someday, i’ll be able to travel and help people along the way. Ü
I do want to get more involved in active volunteering. Sure, I donate money, food, items to deserving causes, but I don’t think I do enough. It seems that time is always getting away from me. You guys are getting me closer to making my desire to volunteer a reality. I’ll keep you posted.
This realm (giving back) is a big part of our lives, but we want to be better about “hands on” activities. The time we’ll spend advocating in D.C. will be very gratifying and (if it’s anything like last year) will help to keep us motivated to stay actively involved. We’d also like to do some kind of international volunteering this year.
you guys sure know how to tug the old heart strings! incredible post. im trying to think of something else to write, but you just dominated it all! hope lots of crew read this and get inspired to live a truly rich life!
I’m not sure I do enough in this respect – in fact I’m sure I don’t. I think I’m a generous person but it’s a long time since I did anything organised about giving back.
K and I have been talking about participating in an adoption scheme of some kind – reading this will raise the issue in our household again so thanks for that.
I couldn’t agree more that a thankful, humble outlook is not just good for the people around you but good for you too.
Very inspiring post and very true. I did a volunteer working holiday researching whales and dolphins off the coast of Scotland and it was one of the most amazing vacations I’ve ever had. I also signed up to volunteer at a turtle sanctuary in Costa Rica, but unfortunately the roads were rained out. Great to reflect and think about what you’re grateful for and how you can make a difference.
So, so true. One of the most memorable moments of our whole year long RTW trip was the two days we spent at a Cambodian orphanage helping out. Those kids were just awesome, and I’ll never forget their smiling faces and affection, despite having very little, and many of them being given away by their parents because they simply didn’t have the means to take care of them. They had very little, but they had each other and a great support system around them to take care of their basic needs. The most important thing all of those kids had was LOVE, and that goes a long way towards being happy. Those 30 kids opened our eyes in so many ways.
Excellent post. Volunteering and giving back is so amazing. I have never been well off but I remember when I was 11 I adopted a kid from Africa. I could only pledge $5 a month but I was so proud of it and happy. I’ve been volunteering and giving back whenever I can ever since. It’s so much better than being rich.
Your posts are always so inspirational! Although I feel a little guilty since I haven’t done much volunteer work. I hope to be able to “give back” more soon.
I agree – the volunteer work I have engaged in most recently has been a bit more pro-bono/work-related and I haven’t had that direct human contact as with volunteer opportunities in the past working directly with people. When we get settled again, I hope to do some more.
Kudos to you guys for taking time to actively volunteer to help others. Lobbying for change from the top (DC) is a great way to support what you and others are doing at the grassroots level. I believe it’s important to volunteer at both ends!
We were shocked how many “volunteer” activities came up on the road that asked for significant amounts of money and ultimately we were put off. Hopefully next time around we’ll have more time to research before we get to a place. Leigh, Kibo sounds great!!
I totally agree with John. Giving back starts at your own doorstep. And the ‘giving back’ can be as little as a smile or a nice word,holding a door open for some one etc. No skills needed for making that first step. The rest evolves from there.I am a supporter of Doctors without borders and the only reason why I wish I were filthy rich is that I would like to buy another hospital ship. As it is they’ll have to make do with the odd donation.
Good advice, I think that it’s extremely important to leverage our natural gifts and use our unique talents to be an encouragement to others. My friend is an expert at guitar and when we visit orphanages he attracts a lot of smiles from the kids, I on the other hand can’t play an instrument for anything, and do a lot better playing football (soccer) with kids.
When we utilize our specific gifts, we are so much happier in the process, and I think that joy can be seen to others.
Very inspiring and so true! I’m happy to have read this today – I’ve been reading a lot lately about location independent lifestyles and how to: not pay taxes, hire people for slave wages, etc. It all rings false to me because I believe that we should all be contributing to the world we want to live in. You guys have reignited my faith that you can still give back and live the life of your dreams. x
Wow! Thanks for all of the thoughtful comments.
Totally agree with what Migrationology says – it’s all about using “natural gifts” to give back. Our take is that – as long as you’re doing that – you are “giving back” in pretty much anything you do. It doesn’t have to be some grand volunteer experience.
I volunteered an an orphanage in Guatemala, and helped build a playground at a school in El Salvador. In my mind, the return was greater than any paycheck I’ve ever collected. And like some folks above point out, you don’t need to go to far-flung destinations to do the same. There are lots of needy organizations at in your own backyard where you can get the same fuzzy feeling.
Thanks for the great post fellas!
Raymond
Love this! Having grown up in rural Appalachia, I’ve been surrounded by poverty my entire life. Worked as a Social Worker “in them thar hills” for years, only to become burnt-out and frustrated.
Now I volunteer my time with refugees and animals. Neither group seems to have much of a “voice”.
Great blog- I’m a new faithful follower.
Giving backs takes my mind of my problems, volunteering is a great way to make life better for everyone involved
So very true. I really admire you guys for all the work you do advocating for others. And I totally agree with some of the comments above, giving starts with simple things like kindness.’
I have met people before who have done a lot of volunteer work, yet are quite rude and grumpy to people they meet in their everyday lives. To me this is not good enough. It’s a bit like going to Church once a week, but then thinking you have been giving the grace to be a jerk for 6.
Be the change. I think being kind in simple ways adds such a lot of powerful energy to our world, which can in turn make dramatic changes as to how we all naturally respect and help each other.
Great post guys. I’ve only recently returned to the UK from Sierra Leone. The trip was amazing and I loved the country, but at times we saw incredible poverty. It really does open your eyes to how fortunate we are and makes you want to give back. Good on you guys for finding great ways to make a difference.
I’ve always liked the old Shirley Chisolm quote: “Service is the rent that we pay for the privilege of living on this earth.” To that end, you guys are operating at a surplus. I think one of the best things that you can do for yourself is to give back…it’s actually a selfish endeavor really, because you get back much more than you give. There is nothing more satisfying than knowing that you’ve made the difference in someone’s life. It really is a beautiful thing.
Even if you think you have nothing to offer, there is always someone who is sick, infirmed or elderly and would love the company of even strangers because so many of their own families have abandoned them. Giving companionship doesn’t require any special talent, only a willing heart.
Volunteering your time and energy is more worthwhile then just contributing some money to any organization. Getting involved yourself, feeling it and making a difference is what volunteering is all about. I would like to suggest http://volunteerstays.com/, it gives you opportunities to volunteer your skill set to worthwhile people. It’s a great site if you want to do something meaningful on your next vacation.
Great post guys. Love seeing travelbloggers get away from navel gazing travel writing and promote a caring giving attitude and plug opportunities for volunteer work. I’ve done 3 volunteer projects- didn’t mind paying as I knew that money gets ploughed back into worthwhile causes.
Ans as Ayngelina says, you gain more than you give. Changes your attitude, maybe your life.
There’s an organisation I have followed since inception a few years ago, set up to make low cost volunteer projects available. Check them out, maybe you can promote them also.
http://www.ubelong.org/
Cool, Jim – I will check them out.
Great advice about your skills being relevant to volunteering, too. There’s United Nations Online Volunteers, where you can sign up with volunteering projects around the world or on your doorstep (you choose) and work with them using your unique skills, be that marketing, web design, consulting, editing, project management, translating, etc. etc.!
Every little bit helps and it starts with each and every one of us! We’ve said this many times before and it still holds true for us –> you guys are making a difference! By sharing your thoughts and stories, you’re inspiring the rest of us. Keep it up!