Muirfield Financial Services encourages collective giving

How often have we thought about how nice it would be if we could eliminate poverty, destroy cancer and put an end to war?

To put an end to something as vast as poverty requires the type of money and effort that most of us can’t fathom.

Over 29 years in financial planning, Muirfield Financial Services has met with countless individuals with wonderful
philanthropic intentions; the types of people who understand that we, the lucky, need to bring forward those who are not.

Unfortunately, it is easy to feel that we can’t make a difference.

There is a general feeling that our donations might not be grand enough to get anything done.

Pooling money together with friends, family and the greater community gives us the chance to be part of something bigger.

Through collective giving, a few small contributions can turn into one huge and highly impactful donation.

Each of Muirfield’s financial planners has individually joined the Geelong Community Foundation’s collective giving fund, Philanthropy 500.

They hope to encourage others to join this network of passionate individuals inspired to create some luck for others.

By bringing together the intellectual, emotional (and financial) resources of 150 individuals, Muirfield Financial Services is hopeful that with a $500 donation from all involved, we will be able to provide a lasting gift of $75,000 to a program or group supporting youth in the region.

As much as we may be unsure of giving away our hard-earned money to something we might not really understand, those of us fortunate enough to be financially secure have an obligation to give.

This is in part because many of us who are secure owe at least some of our good lifestyle to luck.

We’re all just a bit lucky, although we know it might not feel like it some days.

Those of us who were lucky enough to have the advantages necessary to get ahead can create luck for others.

And yes, it can be tricky for us to do this on our own because we don’t want to be a drop in the ocean.

We want to know our money is really helping.

This is the beauty of “collective giving” $500 might not be much in the scheme of things, and $75,000 might not end youth suicide or homelessness, but it’s big enough for us to know that our money is going places; it is big enough to provide real hope and real change in our community.

Who knows; maybe together, we’ll be the ones to make a real difference.

Muirfield Financial Services also has named fund within the Geelong Community Foundation that it contributes to.

To learn more about the Philanthropy 500, the Geelong Community Foundation or to donate, head to geelongfoundation.org/giving/philanthropy500