for the Not Wealthy, those things themselves aren't prohibitive, it's doing those things while simultaneously bringing in enough income to not starve to death (nevermind getting to the point of _raising_ funds) that's the tricky part.

in my experience, trying to to join philanthropic institutions is rough and demoralizing (no call back, unpaid internships only, etc)

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If you see yourself on the prohibitive side, then you should probably be on the receiving side, not the giving side.

Always look after yourself first, then your family, then your friends, then your neighbours, then the world.

I appreciate the concern. I was talking about something kind of in between (I'm doing alright for myself and my family, but I'd like to do more for others): In the past when I've been in between engineering jobs, I've tried applying to nonprofits and charities that generally have a "call for help" message in perpetuity about themselves.

I've never gotten a response to a job application nor a follow-up conversation about other ways I could be helpfully put to use. I don't know anything about running a non-profit but I am left to assume that the cost and difficulty of managing (and paying) additional people outweighs the "help us; get involved!" messaging you often see from the outside. ...or maybe their stance is actually "just donate money and go away" but they don't say that.

I don't know, but it definitely creates some dissonance for someone like me. "get involved get involved!" okay here I am, let's go! ...crickets...

Just a suggestion, but maybe focus on yourself and your family to make your situation better than OK, then you’ll have the ability to help anybody on your terms, not relying on a third party organisation that your criticise.