Mindful Monday: Giving back in the new year

We're at the start of a new year, which means new opportunities and goals for many Oklahomans

One way you can make an impact this year is by giving back, and joining the News 9 team to share more about giving is Calm Waters CEO Linda Maisch.

Q: If someone's saying "I would really want to make a difference this year," what would your advice be to them?

Maisch: One of the key things when we do make these decisions is sometimes we get a little bit ahead of ourselves. The first thing I would do is think about it really mindfully, and consider what kind of time, talent, or treasure you want to give back to the community. Those are what we consider the three pillars of philanthropy.

Q: Talk about time. What do you mean by that?

Maisch: Typically what we look at is volunteerism, and when we look at volunteering for a nonprofit, one of the things that always comes to mind is "I want to give all I can." I'm going to ask you to be realistic. Be realistic about what time you really do have to offer. It doesn't always have to be joining a board or doing something every week. For instance, maybe you can help us with our big event in April. We need help getting prizes for our event, or maybe helping out the night off and greeting guests who are running some of our games; start small and be realistic.

Q: If it's every day for several hours, your schedule might not allow that. What is that going to look like in a couple of weeks when you're burned out?

Maisch: If you over-commit, it doesn't do anyone any good, so make sure you ask that question.

Q: You said talent, what's that?

Maisch: Talent is any special gift that you might have now, it's not necessarily that you know how to raise a lot of money, or maybe that you can be an accountant or that you're a lawyer, special skills are hospitality. Maybe you are the right person to greet people at an event, or maybe you can organize that story that a nonprofit like Calm Waters is desperately in need of, any kind of talent. If you know the right person at that nonprofit, they'll plug you in.

Q: And treasure?

Maisch: Treasure, the simplest one of all, and one that can make a difference in a significant way. Most nonprofits like Calm Waters, you can go on our website right now and donate with just a few clicks. You want to make a big difference? Make that a recurring donation. Spend five minutes today, you can make a donation that will last the entire year, and as an added bonus, you'll have a nice little tax letter waiting for you this time next year.

Q: A lot of people commit hard, and they start hard, and then they kind of fall off on those resolutions, sometimes pretty quickly. What do you say about people like that?

Maisch: The second Friday in January is considered "quitter's Friday." One of those things that, when you're looking at those resolutions for the new year, do small things first and then build on them, month after month, year after year. See if you like it, see if it fits, and then if you want to take it to the next level, absolutely.