The Giving Card – Part 2
If having a family plan is so important, what exactly is planning? Planning is all about making your dreams come true. Because the majority of us choose to live life without planning, it makes it hard to believe that your dreams can become your reality. It’s normal for it not to. In our last “Today is Friday” post, we discussed giving with a plan and in this post we will explain how we do so using what we call our “Giving Card”. In the words of Arsenio Hall, “let’s get busy.”
Giving More Than Our Tithe
Once we started to see how giving (specifically tithing) was impacting our lives, we decided that we needed to become better givers. In fact, we finally learned what giving was all about. In the past, we gave because we felt pressured by our church to do so. We didn’t want to be the one not placing anything in the container as it passed by, much less the one not standing when time to give. Now that we get it, we say why stop at tithing? Why place a limit on what we can do and the impact we can make on the world around us?
I’ve heard it said that you should give until it hurts. Let me caution you to not do that. The key to being a giver is that it’s something you enjoy. Giving for us has become enjoyable and that’s why we can give more. That’s why we desire to give more. That’s why we plan to give more. Ask yourself this question, what would it take to make me like giving my money away? In answering this question, you’ll know where to start on your journey to becoming the giver as opposed to the receiver. Answering this question will pinpoint where you should begin with your planning.
The Goal to Give a Percentage More
In our most recent family plan, Pamela and I have set a goal to increase the percentage of our giving by 1% each year. How is that possible? Glad you asked. Truth be told, we don’t know that’s why we’re forming a plan and implementing steps to help us reach that goal. Before you can reach any goal you need to define it and in this case it’s a number. We know how much more each month that would add to our budget, but let me tell you this, it’s worth every penny. I don’t really feel the need to persuade you to give, our goal is to help you take the limits off your thinking.
How We Make Giving Happen
Tithing can seem pretty boring if you don’t get involved with the process. What I mean is this. When you place the check in the offering bucket or submit it online it’s not much to it. It’s done quickly. So you need something in place to help you keep focus. So we have special times of prayer for our income. We monitor it all year to see how we’re doing towards our goal. When the numbers come in at the end of the year, we have a moment of celebration, reflection, and amazement that we were able to do so much. That’s simply tithing, but what many of you have been waiting to hear is the giving that exceeds tithing. This brings us to “The Giving Card”.
The Giving Card
A couple years ago when we decided to give beyond (more than) the tithe, Pamela and I decided that we didn’t want to give this over-the-top amount to our local church. They already have a recurring tithe. Instead we identified other areas that have helped shape our course. We decided to give to our other pastors, a small amount weekly. With this plan, later came Google Wallet. Google created a card and account that let’s you load money as needed. We opened this free account and gave it a purpose. This card is for our spontaneous giving. (Unfortunately, Google no longer offers this service in the same way and we changed to an Amex Serve card). The Serve Card, what a cool name for our Giving Card. When the funds we have designated to deposit hit this account, we decide how we can be a blessing to others around us with what’s available. This card has been the best idea God has ever given us regarding giving. So we share it with you. It’s become such an enjoyment that we often run out of funds on the card. When this happens we feel extremely good and we start planning how we can give better.
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Our team has worked very hard putting it together. We designed it to help you and your family move the needle forward in making your life your business.
Find out more about the Family plan here.[/su_note]
We use our giving card to give gifts on special occasions. We use it to help those we know who are in need. We use it to make someone’s day a little brighter. We use it to give privately to people in our offices and on and on. Lastly, this year we decided to use it to send birthday cards (with gift cards) to everyone we know. With that said, giving is a way for you to be creative in the way you reflect Him.
Today is Friday!
You have no idea of what’s possible until you put a plan in motion to make it possible. Giving can be incredible with a card, an account, or even money set aside for this purpose and this purpose only. What giving ideas can you think of that you’d like to implement? Leave a comment below.
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