The basic notion of crowd funding in today’s world is a great idea.  Several years ago we at Watchfire Music did a Kickstarter event around a new CD of mine entitled, Goin’ Home.  Needing to raise $9500, in a little over 3 weeks in a one-month campaign we had raised over $12,000.  It was successful, to say the least.

People were excited about giving – and they gave and gave most generously.  Since then the whole idea has just gone out the roof and unfortunately, along with the great success of crowd funding has come a gluttony of ideas coming at us ranging from helping a family through some tragedy to raising money for someone’s back yard barbecue.

Clearly, there are wants, and then there are needs.

But still, along with the idea’s overexposure still comes the great idea that it’s a great thing to do – to give.  For me giving has always been the answer to need.  If I find that in some walk of life I have this need or that need, rather than going after the need, I’ve learned that the way life works best is simply to give more.

It works.  The more we give; the less our need.  Jesus got it right when he said to the rich man, “Give it all away.”  Unfortunately, the man didn’t get it.  Had he followed the master’s advice, he would have become even richer.

So I think each of us should approach life every day by asking ourselves, “What can I give today?”  And then do it.

This month Watchfire Music is giving to a small multi-plex arts center tucked away in the Sangre De Cristo mountain range of Colorado.  For five years the Missus and I had a home in Westcliffe, Colorado, a tiny town of 500 people in a gorgeous valley at elevation 8000 feet.  We needed to get away from the steel and concrete of NYC occasionally and experience trees and sky and nature and so we bought this second home in the mountains.

The nearest town was Westcliffe.  Basically, it was where we got our food and gas – until we met the people.  Aaahhh, the people – a wondrous mix of cowboys, hay farmers, artisans and spiritual seekers all living together up high in the mountains.  Their place of gathering was either church or the town arts center housed in an 84-year old theater called The Jones Theater.  The theater was, and is still, the only facility for hundreds of miles around that presented movies, plays, musicals, concerts, children’s theater and dance.  We both attended this theater nearly every week and also performed there as well.  I even helped them upgrade their sound system.

Now the theater is in some need.  They had to close this past month because they just didn’t have the money to heat the place properly with their antiquated furnace and lack of proper insulation.  I have no idea what those people did on Saturday nights (much less the rest of the week) when they used to gather for movies and the arts.  It must’ve been pretty quiet on Main Street.

Some people have a hard time giving $5.  They think it’s too little so they don’t give at all.  But if everybody gave $5 or even $1, this theater would be back open next winter.

I hope I’ve tickled your interest.  There’s so much more to learn if you want.  This is a most compelling cause.  And the GoFundMe platform makes it simple and quick to donate.

Do it, and I guarantee you’ll feel better.

Because giving is great.  You will only gain from it.