In the middle of a humid Georgia July, Fred Barley was sleeping in a tent on the campus of Gordon State College when he was visited by police officers responding to a trespassing call. They asked Barley to leave his makeshift home but changed their approach once they heard his story. Barley had biked more than six hours to register for his second semester at Gordon State, with nothing more than two duffel bags and a box of cereal to last him for the few weeks until school started. The dorms didn’t open until August, but Barley felt campus was the safest place to stay and was hoping to find a job to support himself. The police officers took Barley to a local motel and paid for two nights. Word of Barley and his determination traveled quickly throughout the community, and the owner of the motel allowed Barley to stay there until he was allowed to move into the dorms. He was also offered a job as a dishwater at a local pizzeria. What’s more, the community started a GoFundMe page for Barley and raised enough to cover the cost of his tuition, living expenses, and then some. Barley’s situation dramatically changed thanks to one act of generosity by two police officers.
Sixteen-year-old Shane Jones was searching for a unique way to make some extra cash. After watching a few YouTube videos, he found a side hustle he didn’t know existed: purchasing the contents of repossessed storage units. When a renter stops paying for the storage units, their belongings are put up for auction, and the buyer of those items can turn around and sell them for a profit. Shane bid one hundred dollars and won, but when he arrived at the storage unit, he knew he couldn’t sell anything. Inside the unit were stuffed animals, photographs, and personal documents. Shane discovered the owner was in prison and realized this was probably everything that person owned. With the help of his parents, Shane tracked down the owner’s mother at a retirement home and gave her the belongings. She was thrilled that someone would give their time and money just to help her incarcerated son.
Colton was struggling to pay his college tuition. He had been going a semester at a time while working full-time, but money was getting tight and he wasn’t sure how he was going to pay for his next semester. After church one Sunday, he walked up to the front and asked an elder to pray with him that God would provide a way for him to keep attending school. A few days later, Colton received a phone call from a woman who told him she wanted to pay for his tuition. He was speechless. Because of her generosity, Colton was able to graduate and earn a scholarship to graduate school.
Patrick’s niece, Jocelyn, had just graduated high school. She was bright and a good kid, but her family struggled financially. Going to college would be a stretch, but Patrick wanted to do something meaningful for her. At the mall on a Saturday, he thought about buying a gift card to her favorite clothing store, but he realized that would just be spent and soon forgotten. As he walked by a bookstore, Patrick remembered an article he had read about opportunities for women in science, technology, engineering, and math. STEM, they called it. She’s always been strong in math, he thought. As he perused the bookstore, he found a book on opportunities in the STEM field. Inside the book was a chapter on scholarships and grants that would really help her. Jocelyn’s face lit up when her uncle handed her the book and read the handwritten note inside: “Jocelyn, I believe in you. I look forward to seeing you soar to great heights. Love, Uncle Patrick.” That $20 didn’t seem like much then, but the vote of confidence he gave his niece continues to pay great dividends.
We’ve all met people who just need one missing piece to complete their puzzle. I get emotional every time I read these kinds of stories because this is what the Good Money Framework is all about. Earning, saving, and giving. It’s about becoming a giver so you can be a participant in stories like these.
Think about a time when someone (even a stranger) helped you or fulfilled a need. Did someone in front of you in the Starbucks drive-thru pay for your coffee? Have you been stuck on the side of the road with a flat tire and a kind stranger stopped to help you change it? It’s funny how often we receive help the times when it is least expected. Maybe it was just a kind word at the right time—after a relative passed away, or when you weren’t sure how much more screaming you could take from your kids, or after you’d had a terrible day at work. Whatever that moment was, a kindness most likely made you feel loved or valued—and the way you went about your day was different. Maybe you had a little more patience with your kids or smiled when the car in front of you cut you off at the stoplight.
When have you been the giver? Have you ever paid for someone’s drink or bought an extra sandwich in the drive-thru for the homeless person on the corner? Have you ever donated to your local food pantry or volunteered your time for a cause you feel passionate about? You’ve likely walked away with a big smile on your face, knowing that you made one person’s life better. Even if no one else knew about it.
Giving is powerful. It changes the trajectory of your day, and it can change the trajectory of your life.
You’ve now learned the savvy tricks to earn and save more. We’ve debunked the myth that money is bad and learned how to leverage your money mistakes to teach those around you wise money habits. Now it’s time to use your money today to make a difference for tomorrow and beyond.
Since my teenage years, I’ve been passionate about giving. At my first job at a grocery store in Arlington, Texas, I made a whopping $3.35 an hour. Raking in the big bucks (at least I thought I was). Even back then, it was important to give a portion of what I made.
Giving made me feel like my money had infinite possibilities. When I gave money to my local church, I knew it could do things and reach people I couldn’t on my own. At the local food pantry, I knew the money could stretch to feed more people than I would have been able to. It gave me great joy to take the little I had and see it be used for greater things. Deep inside, I also understood that I couldn’t give more money away if I didn’t earn more. That purpose fueled me to make even more money through the ways I’ve described in Parts One and Two.
What we do with little reflects what we would do with much. It is true for me. It is true for you. Giving is the heartbeat of the Good Money Revolution. I want you to make more and save more so you can ultimately give more to the causes that light a fire within you.
(To be continued...)
This excerpt is taken from “Good Money Revolution: How to Make More Money to Do More Good” by Derrick Kinney. To read other articles of this book, click here. To buy this book, click here.
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