Ways to Support a Cause without Spending a Dime

/ Ava Rosenroth (The Goodness Geek) / Leave a comment

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We all want to give back to our community, and savor that warm, fuzzy feeling we get when we support a cause that is important to us. But our resources are limited – especially our money. Maybe you’re a young student or just starting out in your career, or maybe you’re a parent saving up for your child’s future. Whatever your reason, you might not be in a place to make a financial contribution to the cause right now, but that’s OK. Just because you’re not in a position to donate money right now doesn’t mean you can’t make a difference. Here are some ways that you can show your support without donating money: Continue reading →

The Secret to Being a Kinder Person

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If only it were as simple as putting on a bunny costume.

Everyone wants to think of themselves as a good person, but actually doing the right thing, or even knowing the right thing to do, is not easy. However, there is one simple thing you can do that, once you start doing it, will almost immediately make you a better person: It’s called trying. Like any other achievement, being a better person starts with simply putting in a little effort. Here are a few things to try: Continue reading →

Gaming for Good – Charity at GenCon 2015!

/ Ava Rosenroth (The Goodness Geek) / Leave a comment
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I neglected to take a picture of the panel, so instead, enjoy this picture of an octopus made out of balloons.

This weekend while I was enjoying the geek heaven that is GenCon, I had a chance to learn about how gaming is not only a great way to have fun, learn skills, and connect with other people – it can also be used to raise money and spread the word about worthy causes in your community. I was lucky enough to participate in a panel with lovely, purpose-driven gamers Andrew Christopher Enriquez and JR Honeycutt of DFW Nerd Night, Oliver Wojtyna of Extra Life Indy Guild, Tiffany Ralph, Dan Patriss of Gamers for Cures, and Adrienne and Jim Jones of Great Big Table and Baby Toolkit. The whole team gave some wonderful tips for organizing charity gaming events and supporting charity through geeky pursuits. Here are some of the tips they shared and lessons I learned: Continue reading →

Forward-Thinking vs. Backward Philanthropy

/ Ava Rosenroth (The Goodness Geek) / 1 Comment

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Philanthropy comes from the Greek term meaning “love of humanity,” but when you take a realistic look at the way we view charity today, much of it stems from Puritan ideas about penance and making up for wrongdoing or selfishness in other aspects of one’s life. A more forward-thinking philanthropist, instead would take a practical look at how they can integrate philanthropy into all aspects of their life, and achieve the greatest good overall, not just enough that they break even. Today, I’m going to take some time to explore what forward thinking philanthropists are doing, compared against old-school styles of philanthropy.
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Self-Kindness vs. Kindness Toward Others: A Non-Battle

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This is what you look like when you try to save the world on no sleep.

Ever feel bad rejecting someone? Saying no to working on the weekend? Telling a friend you don’t have time to hang out simply because you’d rather be doing something else? Does doing nice things for yourself make you feel guilty? Why do we feel so bad about neglecting other people’s needs, but not our own? Too often, we think of kindness toward ourselves and kindness toward others as conflicting interests, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. In reality, self-kindness puts us in the right state of mind to better support the people around us. Here’s how: Continue reading →

Introducing: Goodness News!

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GoodnessNews

One thing that I really believe in is the power of listening to other people. Listening stimulates empathy and increases your knowledge and understanding of the world around you. One of the downsides I’ve found of churning out blog content every week is that it actually has been cutting down on the amount of time I am able to spend listening to other voices in the field and catching up on the news and information flowing around me. In short, I feel like I’ve been spending too much of my time and energy on talking, and not enough on listening, and it is for this reason that I have decided to dedicate every other week to highlighting writing and reporting from experts other than myself. Continue reading →