Let's Move Past Being Broke College Students

This isn't a get rich quick scheme. In fact, it's quite the opposite. Recently, I've been pondering Matthew 10:8. "Freely you have received; freely give." I have a lot, more than I need. It's easy for me to make excuses for myself but the bottom line is that I'm called to consider others better than myself.  I was praying for a way to give freely. God didn't delay in providing me with a way to practice generosity. I got an email from Common Change and it seemed like the perfect way to marry my desire to give with my growing online community. I'll let these words from their website explain their vision.

There's a certain magic in taking an idea and making it a reality. Common Change makes it easy for you and your friends to turn the vision of collaborative giving into reality.

Create- your personal account, and then create/join a group.
It's easy to create or join a group. After creating your personal account, you'll have the opportunity to design your own giving group. Your group will be unique, and thus you'll be given the chance to write a group description and covenant (statement of commitment) that reflects who you are. Each member of your group, before joining, will be able to read and accept your shared hopes.



Invite - friends to join your group.
Rally your classmates, teammates, officemates or your entire neighborhood to collaborate in giving. Whether honoring a relative's birthday by giving to a particular charity project or helping a classmate whose family has been hit by tragedy, Common Change gives you the chance to give.


Fund - your group "piggy bank" (account)
Group members give financially to your group fund, and these will be the funds you will have to work with as a group. Groups agree to share a percentage of personal income (i.e. 10%) or a fixed dollar amount on a regular basis or as desired.








Share - requests/needs with your group.
One of the most amazing aspects of collaborative giving is it changes the way we react to peoples' needs. Instead of ignoring or shying away from needs because of lack of resources, we get to proactively look for and respond to needs around us. Here are a few helpful hints for finding needs and meeting them well: (1) Focus on people who are connected relationally with someone in your group. Common Change calls this principle "One Degree of Separation." (2) Don't be afraid to ask questions that feel uncomfortable. Often, we shy away from questions about money. Remember, people are probably more afraid to ask you for help than you are to ask them if they need it. If you don't ask, you will never know. Then, bring needs to your group to consider how to join together in meeting them.




Discuss - requests brought to your group.
Group members choose which requests to meet through a democratic process; we call this "weighing in." Common Change has come up with a helpful way to ensure that each member is given a voice to decide together whether or not your group wants to devote your resources to a particular request. Here are some helpful tips: (1) Before you throw money at a problem, look for alternate solutions;(2) Invest not just your funds, but your time and effort in meeting someone's request. Often there are solutions that don't require you to spend money, so your group funds can go further.

Support - and meet requests through your collective group's recommendations.
This is where it all pays off, when you and your group get to do something unexpectedly benevolent for someone you know. Once the request has been approved by the group and reviewed by Common Change, share the story so may benefit from your experience on CommonChange.com.


So friends, I'm asking you to join me in being a little more generous. I'd love to have a group that gives $10 a month to a fund and gets to share in the joy of meeting needs and giving love to others.  I am beyond excited to be able to see God use this group to do kingdom work. This is something that is close to my heart, so I hope you consider partnering with me. I won't start the group until I have a few people who are committed. Email me at taylor.liveandmoveblog@gmail.com with your questions or comment below. Let's create a common change.

Share the love,

Taylor

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Thanks for making my day a little brighter with your lovely words!