I Gave My Birthday Away — and You Can Too

Turning Personal Milestones Into Community Good

As we get older, many of us find that we need fewer things. Our wants shift. Our closets are fuller than they once were. What grows instead is a quieter question: What good can I do with what I already have?

For several years now, I have made it a practice to give my birthday away — to donate it, quite literally, to a cause I care about. What began as a simple fundraising decision has gradually revealed itself as something more: a repeatable practice that blends leadership, generosity, formation, and public witness.

This year, I decided not only to do it again — but to explain how and why it works, so others could replicate it in their own contexts.

An Early Application for Medium Writers

Medium is a platform built on ideas, voice, and influence — often modest in scale, but real nonetheless. Writers here shape perspectives, model values, and gather communities around shared questions. That makes Medium an unusually fertile place for turning personal milestones into communal good.

Incorporating something like birthday fundraising into your writing does not require a large following or a polished campaign. It simply requires transparency and…