If you are at all like me, then you have randomly donated a nominal amount of money a time or two. I usually do this when someone randomly asks for a donation, and I feel satisfaction in helping their cause. But I never really consider what the money actually does for the organization that I donate it to. In fact, honestly, at times I don’t even care. It’s not that I’m loose with money. It’s just that I usually am donating the money to support a friend’s cause.

The other day I made a random donation to a charity, and didn’t really think twice about it. That was until I received a call from the charity’s director of development. She said that my donation fed 6 people for every $1 that I donated. The number of meals that I funded with that random donation was staggering. I hadn’t felt that good about “helping” an organization in a really long time. If I was able to constantly quantify my charitable contributions, then I am convinced I would give more.

So here is what I’m asking you to do. Quantify your help. Donate at least $10 to this charity (Second Harvest Food Bank of East Central Indiana), and know that for every dollar you give, you will feed 6 people. That way when you get home tonight, and your loved ones ask you how your day was you can say, “I fed 60 people today, and it felt great!”

Pete the Planner®

Peter Dunn a.k.a. Pete the Planner® is an award-winning financial mind and a former comedian. He’s a USA TODAY columnist, author of ten books, and is the host of the popular radio show and podcast, The Pete the Planner Show. Pete is considered one of the foremost experts on financial wellness in the world, but he’s just as likely to talk your ear off about bass fishing.