When I first heard about Jaime’s idea to raise money to continue doing the amazing volunteer work she does, I thought it was a wonderful idea. I would have loved to donate a lot of money but I had no savings and an annual income of about quarter of the minimum wage (or less), due to doing a huge amount of volunteer work in the area of helping children and education. I didn’t see how I could possibly contribute, given my financial situation.

However, the more I thought about it, the more I realised that to contribute would support everything I stand for. I’m not in a position with my time to do that much volunteer work in the area of climate change, and yet making a contribution in this area is important to me. I’m also passionate about the idea of community and grassroots action. So many people (myself included) are sometimes frustrated about the state of the world and I’m sure that those of us who care are already doing everything we can in our personal lives and our communities to make a difference, in whatever way we are able. And yet, many of us would like to contribute more but need to make a living, care for our families and commitments and so on…

I thought to myself, “if I can’t volunteer in this area as much as I would like to, then I need to do everything I can to support someone who can work on my behalf in the community.”

So I decided to list every single one of my expenses and see if there was anything that wasn’t necessary. Sure enough, I found a subscription to a service that I pay $25/month for. The money comes out of my account automatically and I really don’t even notice it, despite my lack of finances. It’s something I enjoy and get value from but it wasn’t really a necessity. I thought about it and decided that I could live without that for a year (at least) and so I cancelled my subscription and set up a payment to Jaime for that amount. It’s not much. In fact, it’s kind of embarrassing to even share it because I so sincerely wish I had more. On the other hand, if about 100 people simply gave that much – $5 per week, that would meet the goal that would allow Jaime to continue her work. That’s not that many people really. How many of us have something we pay $5 a week for that we could give up for a year? If $5 a week was coming out of your bank account automatically, would you really miss it?

Why did I choose to support Jaime (even though can only give a little at the moment)? * because I care about the environment and want to do what I can to help

* because Jaime herself has a proven track record of making a difference, of being able to take action effectively, of courageously working for communities, of dealing with councils, businesses and so on. I believe she is someone with the knowledge and skills to really cause some positive change

* because I have a vision where everyone we have not only Jaime, but a whole team of people being supported by members of the community who care about causing change

* because I can’t grumble about the state of things if I am not doing absolutely everything I can to help transform those situations – even if that means making some personal sacrifice of time or money

* because climate change is not an isolated issue – it’s connected to everything and hopefully, change in that area will have a ripple effect to other areas

* because I believe that one way to be heard or vote for what we want to see in the world is through how we spend our money – perhaps me buying this and not buying that doesn’t make much difference in the big scheme of things – but if enough people are spending their money in a particular way, it does cause change.

* because donating to Jaime’s work is a choice that I think reflects my values and makes a statement as to my priorities – I want to walk my talk and take action aligned with my beliefs where possible, not just talk about it. In this case, supporting Jaime to do practical things is one of my forms of action.

* because imagine – if we can make this work with Jaime, then it becomes a viable model for others to do the same. I’m always interested in being part of pioneering new models for making a difference – that in and of itself excites me. I think it’s revolutionary and I’m always on for that.

I think I’ve exhausted most of my reasons now. I wanted to share my story because if money is stopping you but you really want to contribute, then do think it over. Honestly, I know what it’s like to have used your fortnightly income within a few days paying bills and then wondering how you’re going to get through the next week and a half with nothing more in the fridge than some old jar of gherkins and an onion that is sprouting. And yet, maybe there is still something we’re buying worth about $5 a week that we could do without…

Of course, it would be great if people could contribute more than $5 but my point was that it would only take 100 or so people contributing that amount per week for a year to reach the goal. Let’s do it folks! Because we can!!!