Giving Out Money

I love to give knowledge, but compared to the knowledge that I can provide others that can have a substantial positive impact on others financially, spiritually, & otherwise, my pockets financially are pretty thin, which is one of the top reasons why I do not like to give out money to the vast majority of those who reach out to me.

The main reasons I won't give money to most of those who inquire

1. I'm in debt for thousands of US dollars from student loans trying to make a living and develop the income and assets necessary to raise a family, and giving out money is essentially putting me further in debt. I believe loosely in Dave Ramsey's baby steps, where debt is eliminated & other investments are strengthened substantially prior to more generous giving.

2. I have developed this website & others (1, 2, 3) that are far more beneficial to many who reach out to me than if I gave each person that asks me $1,000 if they used the websites appropriately because of the knowledge within them. Most people could care less about my websites because they are looking for short term instead of long term solutions, a quick high or a bandaid instead of surgery. I would much prefer to help with surgery, thus some of the reasons for the creation of these websites.

3. The concept of stewardship is very important to me & I want to be a good steward of my giving. I also want to be a good steward of my time and am unable to engage in substantive discussion with most looking for $.

4. My long term goal is to be engaged in full time ministry. Every $ I give to others prior to achieving that goal is a $ that typically keeps me from that goal.

Why I don't like to give out money to strangers unrepresented by organizations rather than directly to organizations

I am especially hesitant to give out money to those who are unrepresented by any organization. I have been intentionally homeless for various periods including as long as 8 weeks, and know from experience that money is not necessary to survive as a homeless person in America because of the large safety net here, & that wisdom and knowledge are much more important.

In some cases, I believe that those that give to homeless panhandlers are actually doing more harm than good. Even if they use it for a good temporary solution, like a hotel or meal, it is teaching them panhandling is a good option while taking money away from other more cost-effective options for helping people like giving money to organizations that give people clean water for a year for only $1 through well drilling in places like Africa. I have seen where those that I have spent a good amount of time with, far more than in a quick conversation with a stranger, have taken money from me that I gave them, said it was going in one direction, and have used it to buy a cigarette. Cigarettes and alcohol killed my grandfather before I was born, and are not a solution to any problem you may have. You might not use any drugs, cigarettes, or alcohol, but I still have no idea where my money is going if I give it to a stranger like you. Because I don't know, giving you money could be me supporting your death, and I don't want to do that. I do give out some money, such as to my church & sometimes to those in ministry, but that is a situation where I know where the money is going and have a high level of trust established that I do not have with any stranger requesting money from me who is unaffiliated by any organization.

I have firsthand experience on over a dozen trips in nations with virtually no safety net where the price of a hotel room for a homeless American could provide for much more than that in a place like Nepal, Haiti, Venezuela, or many parts of Africa. In the meantime, while a homeless person has alternative options, like shelters and moving to warm locations like Florida, many people die on a daily basis in other countries because they have no options and no funds from others who live in America & in their own nation.

A panhandler in America can make much more money than someone with a full time job working minimum wage in many countries. Because of the safety net of America, panhandlers don't need to spend money on any of their necessities, and if they wanted to could put it all into alcohol and drugs. I once spoke to a homeless person with a job who said that he never paid for food because he never needed to. To get a better idea of what I'm talking about with how giving money to the homeless in America means I can't give the same money to those with greater needs in other countries where there is no safety net, see this video.

The concept of stewardship is very important to me & I want to be a good steward of my giving, focusing my giving in places where I know it is going to help the most rather than hurt or only help a little. What a dollar can buy in America is much less than it can buy in many other countries, where that dollar is needed much more than in America because of little or no safety net in so many nations. I have friends in some of these nations who are in need of financial support that I wish that I had more of. That said, I do not condemn those who give financially to panhandlers even though I chose not to give financially. I hope that you understand.

Why I don't like to give out money to strangers represented by organizations in most cases

Even for those represented by organizations, I still get a high number of requests and am unable to healthily give what I'd like to for everyone that asks me, where most invitations are declined or ignored despite the ethos established. Due to the high amount of work I do, where a 70 hr work week is not unusual, I also don't have time to hear out all of those who wish to inquire about me giving to their ministries.

Where I give $

I believe that to not tithe to my church would be to rob God. I still gave to the church even while homeless, even though on at least one occasion I had to request the offering basket because they assumed I wasn't going to give because of my homeless appearance in a large church. When I was a youth minister, I still tithed, requesting that my salary be reduced in order to account for my total tithe from my main real estate work & my ministry work.

A significant portion of my giving goes toward offerings to ministries at my church as well as to those that I personally interact with. I don't give on a monthly or annual basis to any ministries other than church (my tithe) & my own ministries.

Why I don't like to give out money to most that ask even if I know them personally

I love to give knowledge, but I don't have the funds to give a substantive amount to everyone who asks. I am still in debt to student loans, as mentioned above, & whatever money I give is money that can't go to paying off my debts that are accruing interest until they are paid. Also, cost-effective giving is critical to me, and $100 for a short term mission trip or local US ministry is something that I do not believe is the best stewardship of the little giving that I can do in most cases. $1 can give someone clean water for a year who might die from a water-related disease in certain countries through well drilling & maintenance. A bike can go a long way for an Indian itinerant pastor traveling on foot from village to village. Stewardship in giving is critical to me, and for me it is important that I give more based on where the need is for the highest bang for my buck ultimately rather than primarily just to those who I am friends with. Also, I have friends in ministry in highly cost-effective countries like India who ask me for money as well.

I have firsthand experience on over a dozen trips in nations with virtually no safety net where the price of a hotel room for a homeless American could provide for much more than that in a place like Nepal, Haiti, Venezuela, or many parts of Africa. In the meantime, while a homeless person has alternative options, like shelters and moving to warm locations like Florida, many people die on a daily basis in other countries because they have no options and no funds from others who live in America & in their own nation.

Knowledge I may be able to help with, time permitting

I may be able to assist in the following capacities as long as time permits:

1. Rental Assistance - see "Exceptions to my Fees" section here.

2. Education advice

3. Spiritual advice - I have a BA in Christian Education from Wheaton College with a minor in Bible. I have an MA in Practical Theology from Regent University. I was a youth minister for a bit over 4 years.

4. Advice on travel hacking for ministries - see "Free Options" section here.

Websites knowledge base you may be able to benefit from

1. Time management

2. How to budget

3. Travel hacking for ministry

4. Low Income, Frugal, & Homeless Helpful Information Central

Primarily US Based Assistance:

1. Immigrant housing recommendations

2. How to boost credit

3. Free credit scores

4. Programs to reduce your rent costs

5. How to acquire a rental when you have low income &/or bad credit

6. How to use various websites to find a home for rent

Where I may be able to give more than knowledge

1. Train Travel:

One of the ways that I can contribute more than knowledge is for those who need to go from one part of the US to another part of the country via Amtrak train, especially those who need direct train travel of 6 hrs or less. I have points that I may be able to contribute to your travel as long as your dates are flexible where you could go on a date that is a relatively low $ rate since the points are based directly on the $ rates. For those who would contribute to a $ portion of train travel, I may be able to contribute buy one get one free certificates or upgrade certificates.

2. A portion of hotel stays:

For those looking to stay at Wyndham Hotels for the purpose of ministry, or who may be homeless, I may be able to contribute 50% off a limited number of hotels when 20% of the points amount typical of a free night would cover 50% of the costs.See article here for more details.

3. High value per point economy airfare for ministry

In cases where someone is able to use 20k miles or less for airfare that is worth more than 5 cents per point vs the $ rate, I may be able to provide or find a donor to provide the points necessary for that rate as long as with an airline program that allows for the holder of points to book for someone else outside of their family etc. Here are more details on that.

Related: Booking Request Information