The U.S. government will soon begin depositing $1,200 into bank accounts for people who earn less than $75,000 as an individual, $112,500 as the head of household, or $150,000 married and filing jointly. But what should you do with this money?
If you’re like me, you have already thought about what you’re going to do with an extra $1,200. How about a nice trip to Europe? Maybe pay off some of those student loans? Or how about seeing some of your favorite bands in concert? There is nothing intrinsically wrong with any of these decisions. You are receiving money from the government, and you can spend it as you wish.
And please do not misunderstand, using the stimulus money to help small businesses or industries in need is not a poor choice. But the option to donate to charity and help small businesses with this check are not mutually exclusive; we can and should do both.
And if you’re also like me, you don’t need this money. I’m still receiving my salary and paying my loans and other bills. In fact, I have saved money during the outbreak because I’m not eating out or doing my normal social activities.
Not everyone is so lucky. For any hourly worker in the construction or restaurant industry, if they are not at their job site, they are not being paid. These people are who need the stimulus check. But they are receiving the same amount as a salaried worker, like myself.
Can we help remedy this inequity? Yes. We can help by donating some or all of our stimulus checks. And if you are fortunate enough that your salary disqualifies you from receiving a stimulus check, feel free to give as well!
Some of you have already considered this, which is great. But social pressure is often necessary to move the needle toward an intended result.
So my friend Janie Kim and I started to think — how do we rally support around this idea? How do we create a tsunami of donations around this country? We did not want to create a GoFundMe account or new charitable organization, but rather a social campaign.
Janie and I created a pledge sheet on change.org. Its purpose is to create a social contract between you, your conscience, and, hopefully, the millions of other people who sign it. On this sheet, you can put your name, how much you plan to donate, and to which charity (all are optional disclosures).
Once you do so, you’ll be able to share this decision with your friends on social media. Everyone loves a good hashtag, so we created #StimulUS, describing what this whole crusade is about — us as a human race. Our friends, family, the community, and the world as a whole.
Americans have incredibly diverse interests and causes. That’s why we prefer not to encourage donations in specific areas. Personal knowledge of a community’s specific needs is a far better catalyst for giving. It also saves millions in fees when people give directly to charities, instead of services such as GoFundMe. Right now, every dollar matters.
You may also be thinking, “What if we could refuse the stimulus check, so the government could give it to someone who needs it?” I am not sure this option exists, but even if it does, cutting out the bureaucracy will benefit those who need these funds. What would take you five minutes to donate could take the government weeks or months to reallocate.
To start this off, I pledge my entire stimulus check to the RCS Food Bank in Clearwater, Florida. Although Janie will not receive a stimulus check, she still plans to donate to a charity as well. We’ve pledged, now so can you. Let’s go change some lives.
Steven Arango clerks for a U.S. federal district judge. After completing his clerkship, he will return to active duty in the Marine Corps as a judge advocate. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Marine Corps, Department of the Navy, Department of Defense, or the U.S. government.
