The statistics are really quite unbelievable.
The average American home has nearly tripled in size over the last 50 years—yet, over 50% of us with two-car garages have room for only one vehicle inside.
Our homes contain more televisions than people. We spend more on shoes, jewelry, and watches ($100 billion) than on higher education. And the average American woman owns 30 outfits, one for every day of the month—in 1930, that figure was nine. Home organization, the service that’s trying to find places for all our clutter, is now an $8 billion industry, growing at a rate of 10 percent each year.
Our living spaces have become filled with possessions of every kind: our countertops are crowded, our closets are stuffed, our bedrooms are filled, and our drawers are overflowing.
And yet, this holiday season, we will accumulate even more. In fact, we will spend $600 billion adding more and more things to our already crowded homes.
Let’s start here: Before buying a whole bunch of stuff for your loved ones this holiday season, maybe you should ask if they even want a whole bunch of stuff. You might be surprised by their response.
But I’d like to challenge your thinking even more and offer you one idea this Christmas season that might be a win-win situation for everyone—while helping you avoid unnecessary gift-clutter in your home.
This money we are spending actually holds within it enormous potential. Consider this: Nearly half the world’s population, 2.8 billion people, survive on less than $2 a day. To put that into perspective, Americans will spend, on average, roughly $400 per person this weekend… in just three days, we will spend more than half the annual income of 2.8 billion individuals.
Which is fine, I think, if we were buying things that actually improved our lives. But, in reality, most of the stuff we buy these days doesn’t.
Meanwhile, the real needs around us are plentiful.
In 2015, along with the help of some amazing people, my wife and I founded a nonprofit organization to help bring awareness and better solutions to the orphan crisis around the world.
Worldwide, over 26 million children live without parents—but the problem does not end there.
Decades of research have indicated that traditional, institutional-style orphanages are not solving the problem adequately. In fact, in too many places, they are only continuing the crisis. When children do not receive adequate personal interaction within a loving environment, development is stunted and learning abilities are delayed or lost. Many kids age out of orphanages only to face a future of crime, prostitution, or trafficking.
The Hope Effect is seeking to change orphan care around the world by focusing on solutions that better mimic the family-unit.
And we want you to be part of the solution.
One of the ways we are inviting people to get involved in the orphan crisis is by challenging them to give their Christmas to someone who needs it.
We call it “Homes for the Holidays” and the idea is very simple: Instead of asking for gifts this holiday season, ask for donations that make a difference. Rather than adding to the clutter in your home this holiday season, ask your friends and family to help provide homes for orphans.
It is easy to do. Within just a few minutes, you can create your very own personalized fundraising page and easily share it with your friends and family through e-mail, Facebook, or Twitter.
The opportunity represents a win-win-win situation. You benefit from less holiday gift clutter to store and organize in January. Your friends and family benefit from less-stressful holiday preparations. And, most importantly, orphans around the world will benefit by being raised in a loving family environment.
Our holiday season can be used to solve very real problems around the world.
Already, over 100 hundred people have created fundraising pages. I have created mine and you can create yours today (you know, to catch your family before they buy you a bunch of stuff you don’t need).
With 100% of your friends’ and family’s donations being used directly for orphan care, everyone will feel good about the contribution being made.
Our goal is to have 300 people gift their holiday season to someone who needs it. Doesn’t that sound so much more rewarding than receiving unneeded gifts this year?
If so, join me and sign up here today: Help provide Homes for the Holidays.
Sherrie says
If you want to wake up xmas morning and have no gifts, by all means go crazy. But i will be waking up Xmas morning to gifts i really want and i wont have it any other way.
I am looking forward to my new storage case(as long as i can actually find it in stores or the alternate option i’m looking at has drawers the same depth), 2 lb bulk lego lot, GBA game, lego set, and possibly one other small GBA game lot
Curtis Ramoutar says
Great work, Joshua. All the best with the children’s orphanage. I know you all are touching many lives.
Gail says
About 10 years ago, the adults in my family started giving supplies (socks for Bless My Sole, personal care items for abused women shelter, etc) to each others charity. A side benefit is we get to know what missional needs are on each others heart as we learn about the charities. Sometimes, big tears are shed when we hear about true stories of the person or animal in need.
Chris says
Ahh, I love that! What a great idea!
DeAnna says
I did it! I made my page. I have been following Joshua for over 3 year now. It was a no brainer for me to join him. Thank you for starting this Mr. Becker! Merry Christmas!
joshua becker says
No, no. Thank you! And call me Joshua. :)
Shannon says
I appreciate you and your wife’s efforts to encourage others to help vulnerable children this season. I have been reading your blog for over a year now, and I admire your ability to galvanize others towards a better life for themselves and those around them. For this reason, I wanted to share with you some resources that will enrich this new journey for both of you. UNICEF has Guidelines for the Alternative Care for Children as well as a handbook called Moving Forward for implementing those guidelines. In addition, the author J.K Rowling founded a charity called Lumos, found at wearelumos.org, which discusses current issues surrounding the most responsible approaches to addressing the needs of vulnerable children. All three of these resources point to the fact that many children in residential care facilities have a parent or other relative who could care for them, but have relinquished their rights due to economic reasons. UNICEF highlights the need of the international community to focus more on solutions that support impoverished families and communities to care for their own children. I share these resources with you because I know from your writing that you and your wife want to make the most informed decisions possible as you embark on the adventure of running your own ngo. If you want to discuss these issues further, you may contact me at shannon@thecharisproject.org,
Ali says
Shannon,
Love the research. I also love that Joshua is trying to do something to help…even if it isn’t perfect. How do we support parents of ‘orphans?’ Would love to dialogue.
Ali
Cheryl says
I agree with Jessica’s comment. I have a difficult time going outside of my community to help others when there is so much I can do here. I love Joshua’s insightful blog and feel it has helped me stay on track with minimalism and will continue to follow it. We all have to follow what we feel is our direction and I wish him well with this endeavor. He will be helping someone.
Barbara says
I’m trying to set up a page but don’t know how to do a Page URL. This is what I have so far. I also wrote to Kim to ask help in setting up the page URL. Thanks for any help.
Jesus is the Reason for the Season
Fundraising Goal
$2500
Customize Your Page URL ! URL must be letters only
my.hopeeffect.com/myhopeeffect.com/grantieboy
my.hopeeffect.com/my.hopeeffect.com/myhopeeffect.com/grantieboy
Fundraising End Date S
February 14, 2016
joshua becker says
Thanks for setting up a page Barbara. We sent you an email to solve the problem you are encountering.
Jessica says
I prefer to keep my charitable efforts local. I live in Ohio, and we have plenty of destitute people right here in our state. Instead of shopping at big box stores this weekend, I shopped at charity shops. My kids are young enough that they don’t care that the pink polkadot sweater I found was used, or that the collection of books has already been read by someone else. The money I spent helps needy individuals in my own community. In my city, I can choose from shopping at places that benefit the local chapter of the American Cancer Society, Birthright International, Goodwill, Veterans of America, National Kidney Foundation, a local no-kill cat shelter and more. I also like Small Business Saturday and will be visiting an artisan shop. The artisan shop has a arts and crafts supplies exchange area where I take our fabric, yarn, etc that we no longer want and swap it for things we do want. I always leave more than I bring home… and sometimes I come home with nothing. I would also encourage people to shop at their library book sales. The proceeds go back to funding the library’s collections.
Shannon says
Jessica,
I love your approach to Christmas gift shopping. I totally agree with supporting those in need in your own neighborhood. And the cool thing is that you are starting this while your kids are young. As they get older, you can explain why you give second-hand gifts, and they will grow up learning a different approach to gift giving. It’s awesome!
I am just wondering, why not both? You might not think that you don’t have enough money to help people in far off countries, but the beauty of minimalism is that it frees up more of your income to be generous to those in need all of over our global community. As someone working with impoverished families abroad, I can vouch that even $10 can make a difference for a family in desperate need of food and shelter. Plus, research shows that generous people are healthier and happier. Sounds like a win-win all around.
Shannon says
I mean, “You might think that you don’t have enough money…”
Judy says
Maybe God purposely leads everyone in a different direction…that way more areas are met.
Emily says
I love this! I had been thinking of doing something similar…asking my family to help children in need instead of buying me gifts. This post came at a great time for me :)
Sharon says
I couldn’t find a listing for The Hope Effect at Charity Navigator or Charity Watch. When could we expect to see a rating for your organization at one of these two websites? Thank you.
joshua becker says
Sharon, you are able to find our approved tax-deductibility status on the IRS website. See it here.
However, your question more likely relates to financial health and financial efficiency—two important factors when evaluating any charity. Because The Hope Effect has only begun operation in the past year (actually, the past month), our financial documents for filing have not yet been completed.
These documents will be compiled in the beginning of 2016 by our accountant at Ronald Blue & Co. At that time, they will be made part of the public record as required by law and will be available for evaluation by the organization you listed above and numerous others.
In the meantime, it may helpful for you to know that 100% of donations received to The Hope Effect are used exclusively for orphan care (construction and ongoing expenses).
sharon says
Thank you!