People all around the world no matter their race, gender, or age face hardships and will be affected by charity in some way. A reliable charity can and will deeply affect people and communities in positive ways. Giving money to these charities is one of the only ways to help people in need without going and doing it yourself. However, researching charities is important to make sure that your money is going to good use. Giving and volunteering will always be a crucial part of life no matter what situation I am in. For me, “giving well” is about giving to causes and organizations that you care about with no set amount on how much or how often you give. There is no correct amount of money or time that one should give to a charity; I believe that the thought of volunteering one’s time or money is more important. When I give money or volunteer my time or money, I want to make sure my effort is going to a good cause that is making a difference. This means that I have to research the organization’s financial accountability, evaluate the impact the money that I am donating has, and look into the organization’s leadership, making sure that they have the best interests in mind. There are many reasons why I give and will continue to give in the future. When I donate to charities and organizations local to me, I feel like my biggest motivation is community building. Giving to these charities gives me a sense of belonging and connects me to the community. This is amplified when I can see my money being spent on improving community members’ lives or improving different aspects of the community. For me, this is a domino effect, when community members see that money has a positive impact on the community, they are more likely to give, causing the body of people to have a sense of belonging. Another reason that I give, is that I may have a personal connection to a charity. This may include that a charity has affected someone close to me like a friend or a family member, or that I have seen first-hand someone facing hardship. For me, I think that this is the biggest motivator in giving money. Seeing someone I care about facing hardships and knowing that I can do something to help inspires me. Due to this, I am more likely to be more involved in charity than just giving money, like volunteering my time or spreading the message of the charity. I do not think that everyone has to give money or volunteer their time. For me, charity is a deeply personal decision that people make. This is because there is a lot of effort involved in giving well that not everyone has the time or resources to do. I also think that setting the amount of money that people should give is a bad idea. People should be able to donate any amount of money that they want from a couple of cents to billions of dollars because the amount of money given does not dictate how giving someone is or how much of an impact they make. As a Hindu, there is no mandatory charity like Christianity, for example, but giving is deeply ingrained in the religion and is one of the key principles. For example, the sacred text, The Bhagavad Gita, mentions and emphasizes the importance of giving without the attachment for results. Another concept in Hinduism that affects me and my giving habits is Karma, the force generated by one’s actions. When I give it makes me feel fulfilled and satisfied. This fulfillment brings me immense happiness that is then translated into positive things that affect my life. Although I am glad that charity is ingrained in Hinduism, I am also pleased to know that there is not a mandatory amount. Having a mandatory amount takes out the genuine drive that is needed to make an impact. It also allows and encourages people to exploit the system to get out donating. Although I see the benefits like the amount of money donated, the cons outweigh the pros. I think that charitable giving should be ingrained in American society. Firstly, as I said before, it builds a sense of community. For example in my town, there is an annual 5k race that is helping find a cure for ALS. This is a perfect example of a community activity that helps bring the town together to help a common goal. With this sense of community, it encourages civic engagement. The United States is a democracy and civic engagement is crucial to ensure representation and facilitate change. I believe that charitable giving and civic engagement go hand and hand. Finally, charitable giving helps a plethora of people from rich to poor, to old and young, and every race and culture.