Ways to Give: Simple, Meaningful Options That Fit Your Life

Generosity isn’t one-size-fits-all. At One Day’s Wages, we believe giving should feel accessible, thoughtful, and aligned with your real life—whether you’re just starting out, raising a family, building a business, or planning your legacy.

Here are several ways our community gives back, starting with the one that launched this movement.

1. Give One Day’s Wage

A simple act. A powerful statement.

One Day’s Wages began with a straightforward idea: What if we each gave one day of our income to support people creating change in their own communities?

It’s not about the amount—it’s about participation.

To make this easy (and even fun), we created a giving calculator. It helps you translate your income into a one-day gift—and it’s a great conversation starter with kids and teens about generosity, fairness, and shared responsibility.

2. Give Monthly

Steady support that strengthens long-term change.

Monthly giving helps ensure our partners—local organizations led by people closest to the challenges—can plan, grow, and respond when needs arise.

Many of our 141 monthly donors choose a monthly amount that equals one day’s wage spread across the year, making generosity manageable and sustainable.

3. Give Through a Donor-Advised Fund (DAF)

Strategic giving with flexibility.

If you already give through a Donor-Advised Fund, you can recommend a grant to One Day’s Wages at any time.

DAFs are especially helpful if you:

• Want to give generously in high-income years
• Prefer to separate the tax moment from the giving moment
• Support multiple causes strategically

4. Give Your Required Minimum Distribution (RMD / MRD)

Tax-smart generosity with real impact.

If you’re age 73 or older, the IRS requires annual withdrawals from retirement accounts—called Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) (sometimes referred to as MRDs).

You can choose to direct some or all of that distribution to charity, often called a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD).

Why donors choose this:

• The gift can count toward your RMD
• It may reduce taxable income
• It turns a required withdrawal into a meaningful investment in people and communities

5. Give Appreciated Assets (Stocks, Securities, etc.)

Often the most efficient way to give.

Donating appreciated stocks or other assets can be one of the most tax-advantaged ways to give—especially if those assets have grown significantly over time.

Benefits often include:

• Avoiding capital gains tax
• Receiving a charitable deduction for the full market value
• Making a larger impact without writing a larger check

Email donations@onedayswages.org for stock transfer information. 

Give in the Way That Fits You

There’s no “right” way—only intentional ones.

Some donors give once a year.
Some give monthly.
Some give through assets, foundations, or planned gifts.

What matters most to us isn’t how you give—it’s that your generosity reflects your values and helps fuel locally led solutions around the world.

If you’d ever like help thinking through what option fits best, we’re always happy to have that conversation—with curiosity, not pressure.

Your generosity, your way—one day closer

However you choose to give, you’re part of a global community investing in dignity, partnership, and lasting change.

And it all starts with a simple question:  What could one day of generosity make possible?