How do you do it? (Charitable Giving, that is)

[money100]

How do you guys give to others?

Do you prefer to write a cheque or mingle with those who are receiving your gift?

Do you give once a year, couple of times a year, or consistently each month/week?

Do you mostly say yes when the cashier asks if you want to contribute $1 to whatever? Or do you want to really think about a few charities that you give your heart to?

What do you focus on? If you're giving to the Food Bank, do you feel compelled to buy the baby food, something more satisfying like pasta or "fun junk" like cookies?

Are there any charities that you will NOT support?

[The J]

I prefer to write a check. I give a couple times a year. I say no when the cashier asks. I usually donate to local food banks, but I don't give food -- I give money.

[whoisjohngalt]

Are there any charities that you will NOT support?

I don't support large charities. I also don't support any medical charities. Or any animal charities

I donate to local groups that I can actually see do good work for people.

I also donate to local religious place.

Before we moved I volunteered for years for elderly organizations and abused women helpline

[money100]

@ J: here, if you give money to the food bank, it actually buys 3 times as much because they get special discounts, etc. But I still like picking out groceries and it's super easy because my grocery store has a big bin so it's just a quick buy-and-drop-off.

@ Lena: I'm a big fan of charities where I know where the money has gone. I also feel wary of large charities because I worry that much of the money may end up paying for fundraising efforts. I really love the YWCA (help for abused women) in another city because I volunteered there while I was in University and saw exactly how the director prioritized funds.

[zibazinski]

I write checks for Heifer International and the Humane Society. I also wrote a check for the Animal Cat Rescue in Tampa because a guy that worked where I live died this year and left 3 kids and a wife and that is what SHE asked for in memory of him. I felt that if she was willing to forgo money for herself and her children then I could do what she wished.

[The J]

They get the discounts around here too, which is why I always give money. Plus, they know what they need more than I do.

[kgb18]

I have a tendency to give sporadically. I usually donate a dollar or two at the register. I drop money in the Salvation Army kettles. I give food to the local food bank at the holiday. I give more of my time. I volunteer at several places, including Habitat for Humanity, which has become a serious time obligation in the last year.

[rumples]

We generally put money aside all year and then make one large donation during the holidays. For the past few years, we've purchased whatever the volunteers for the local no-kill shelter tell us they need. This year, we'll most likely try to make a monthly donation rather than saving it up for the holidays. Hopefully, it won't become another "Best of intentions..." thing. I'm going to try for less of those this year.

[suzwantstobefree]

Weekly to the church (by check).

Monthly to the food bank, the Christian radio station I listen to, and the Leukemia and Lymphoma society. I do these by Auto deductions to my credit card. This ensures that I am a faithful giver. I like giving money to our local food bank because they say that each $1 I give they can provide $9 worth of food to the needy.

I also clean out my pantry on Superbowl Sunday - my church does a canned food drive that Sunday called "Souper Sunday".

I also do Team in Training for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. I raised over $3000 for that cause last year.

[honeybunny66]

I give at church, World Vision and other local charities by check throughout the year. I also give food to the local food bank but maybe I'll start giving a monthly check instead. Our family goal for 2011 is to be able to pay for a home in Haiti ($2500) through World Vision or Food for the Poor. Now you have me concerned. Will they actually build the house for an unfortunate family or use my money elsewhere?

[debtheaven]

I tend to give sporadically, and to several places. For Christmas / Hanukah I "adopt" animals for the younger kids, or give a Kiva Gift Certificate (or something like it) for the older kids. I tend to be spur-of-the-moment too. One of my best friends (a doc) went on a mission to Haiti recently, so I contributed to the charity that sent him. DH's cousin sadly lost a newborn twin to a heart ailment so I gave to their preferred charity, in lieu of the gift I would have given to their baby boy. DS3's classmate's sister died of a brain tumor at just 14 last year, so we donated to their cause. DS1 is a humanitarian aid worker and has been involved in charitable work since he was much younger so I have always donated to the places he worked for, or raised money for.

My favorite charity is Kiva because I believe in microloans, and because it is "the gift that keeps on giving". Every couple of weeks our initial donation comes back, and we can donate it again, or send a gift certificate to our older kids so that they donate instead, and hopefully get in the habit of donating themselves. We also add to it regularly, but not every time it comes up.

I also contribute to local food drives, IF they are doing their thing on the day I am at the supermarket.

[tiredturkey]

We give $$ to a local health and food ministry monthly and try to bring canned goods to church each Sunday for the food pantry. We also support our local humane society because they do wonderful things for abandoned and abused animals. I tend to give to local organizations where I can see the effectiveness of the funds I donate. The hunger issue is growing dramatically because of unemployment and my area food pantry is seeing an unprecedented demand. And the number of abandoned animals is growing with the unemployment rate.

[writer88]

These are good questions, money100.
When I was deep in debt I gave charity only sporatically, usually around the holidays, and always in small amounts via credit card.
Now that the debt is 99.9% paid off, I am tithing all "extra" income, such as gifts from family, payments for freelance articles, returns of money owed me, etc. My goal is to tithe every source of income.
I used to give small amounts ($5-$10) to a number of large, recognized organizations, but I've since changed my policy, partly because three of these organizations, (i.e. their directors), were charged with embezzlement or bribery. Now I give to the rabbi or gabbai (prayer organizer) of my synagogue for anonymous distribution to needy people in my community, or to a special woman, a friend, whose two children need thousands of dollars of medical treatment each year.

[money100]

Rumples, I like doing monthly gifts/donations because it stays on my mind instead of the holiday season when very many people traditionally give. I also recall a year or two ago, that our local food bank was in the news explaining that summer months are the hardest on their cupboards because there isn’t a “giving” holiday around that time.

Suz, I think doing something for the Superbowl is a terrific idea. We are not big American Football fans in my home but my husband and his brothers LOVE hockey. Now I want to do something similar for the Stanley Cup playoffs. Maybe the extended family can collect things during the playoffs and make a big donation on the day of the final game. Thanks for the great idea!!

I’m sorry, honeybunny. My cynicism got to you! In order to put my mind at ease, I usually check their financial reports. They typically have a pie chart showing what percent of their income (donations) go to administration (sometimes this is lumped with ads and other fundraising efforts; sometimes it’s separate), different programs and so on. It sounds like this is a major commitment for you and your family (and very generous also!!) so maybe you can find out relatively easily on their website.

Sorry to hear about the problems your friends and family have had, debtheaven. Your idea of the Kiva gift cert has inspired me. I was vaguely aware of them before but never really looked into what it was all about. It definitely sounds like something my family would like to participate in and because of your positive experiences with it, we’ll be doing it in the new year too!

Tiredturkey, I never considered the relation between unemployment, hungry families and abandoned pets. You’ve really given me something to think about.

Dancinmama, I was one of those people who would never have considered hygiene products until I saw a “wishlist” for a local charity. People definitely need to spread the word. I see a lot of peanut butter, pasta and pasta sauce in the food bin but baby foods, diapers, toothpaste and toothbrushes, feminine products are also desperately needed simply because everyone needs them but people don’t usually think of them!

Thanks for the compliment, writer88! It’s my very first post and I’m so pleased that people have responded – especially since many posts gave me a new perspective.

About tithing, I have always liked the idea but I never did it. I did read once that people who tithe are better with money (no matter what their income level) because they’re forced to actually look at their budgets and find that extra cash. They learn to live within their means in order to meet the extra obligation.

I don’t belong to a religion but I really strongly believe in giving, so I will try tithing $200 (5% of each paycheque) starting in January and keep going until I hit the 10% mark (my personal goal; not too sure what the Good Book says!) Can’t wait to see my tax deduction at the end of the year!

[floridayankee]

Dec 27, 2010 8:08:03 GMT -5 @money100 said:

How do you guys give to others?

Do you prefer to write a cheque or mingle with those who are receiving your gift?

I volunteer at my VFW post and donate cash when/where needed. This past year we also supported a ton of poker runs for local charities, toy runs and fundraisers for fallen members of other local MCs.

Do you mostly say yes when the cashier asks if you want to contribute $1 to whatever? Or do you want to really think about a few charities that you give your heart to?

The only two unsolicited donations I ever make is when the firemen are doing their "fill the boot" fundraiser. They always have a firetruck parked on one of the street corners when they are collecting at intersections so you can verify these guys are legit. The other is the Veteran's day / memorial day poppy fundraiser at the grocery store...simply because I'm usually one of the people collecting donations and handing out poppies.

What do you focus on?

The majority of our donations are to military organizations and children's causes....but we'll go on any charitable poker run if we can have fun!

@ Lena: I'm a big fan of charities where I know where the money has gone.

Being a charter member and treasurer for our VFW Post Men's Auxiliary, I know exactly where my donations go. I hold the checkbook.

[cubefarmer]

We donate clothes and other items to a small town re-sale place that takes the money they raise and give it to individuals who live in the small town who need help paying for medication, high electric bills, car repairs, etc. The resale place is run by all the churches in the small town that have joined forces to help the entire town.

[suzwantstobefree]

I hope this doesn't offend anyone but I won't give to the American Red Cross. I sent them a check for $1000 and it wasn't cashed for over 3 months. They obviously didn't need the money if they couldn't bother to put it in the bank!!!! I also get a little put off by charities that don't send an acknowledgement of a gift. I don't give because I want a thank you, but I do consider it a courtesy to acknowlege a gift immediately.

[❤ mollymouser ❤]

Dec 27, 2010 8:08:03 GMT -5 @money100 said:

How do you guys give to others?

Do you prefer to write a cheque or mingle with those who are receiving your gift?

Do you give once a year, couple of times a year, or consistently each month/week?

Do you mostly say yes when the cashier asks if you want to contribute $1 to whatever? Or do you want to really think about a few charities that you give your heart to?

What do you focus on? If you're giving to the Food Bank, do you feel compelled to buy the baby food, something more satisfying like pasta or "fun junk" like cookies?

Are there any charities that you will NOT support?

1. Most of our charitable deductions are by personal check. And many charities now use PayPal. We also make in-kind (non-cash) donations. We mingle with some charities/recipients, and not with others.

2. We aim for giving a set percentage of our gross income by the end of the year, so we tend to give in approximately the same amounts throughout the year, budgeting for additional giving near the end of the year.

3. I usually don't say yes when the cashier asks me to donate to whatever cause they are promoting.

4. In looking at our charitable giving receipts and totals for 2010, more than 30 different charitable organizations are represented, the vast majority of which are faith-based, followed by animal-rescue-based. (That's where our interests are.)

5. When giving to food banks, food pantries and such, we often write a check. But when we do donate actual food, we focus on some practical basics, personal hygiene items, and ... sometimes ... something fun like brownies mixes. We also try to buy baby food, and a lot of simple basics and staples.

6. We don't support charities that don't align themselves with our beliefs and interests. We don't support charities that employ professional fundraisers who skim huge chunks off the top. We don't support charities who annoy us, spam us, stalk us, or who seem to be foolish in their use of funds.

[debtheaven]

Money

I'm so glad you like the idea of the Kiva gift certificates! I love the fact that you can choose the geographical location (we always chose one where DS1 was), a man or a woman, and the field. And they have GREAT customer service, too. The first time we gave GCs to our oldest two, DS1 used it, DS2 (the family ditz) let his lapse. I emailed them and despite the fact that DS2's GC had lapsed, they let me honor it.

Once you sign up with them, you get a monthly email as to the state of your account. So as soon as it hits 25 to 30 dollars (depending on how much you want to donate to the running of Kiva) you just choose another loan, and your initial donation goes off to help somebody else. And of course you can always take out additional loans too.

Great thread!

[telephus44]

I have certain set charities that we give to. My biggest concern is hunger - as I am in central MA, we give to Project Bread in Boston and the Worcester County Food Bank. I mail them a $25 check when they ask, and bigger amounts around the holidays. I also donate HBA's rather than food - I do really well with sales/coupons/rebates and like having some place to donate the 6 tubes of "free" toothpaste to.

I also donate to several local charities - the library, Audio Journal (radio station geared toward the blind community), local heating assistance funds.

I also donate to my alma mater. I may never make it, but some day I'd like to donate a total of all the financial aid they gave me as scholarships.

And lastly, I donate money to the Shark Research Institute. I love sharks, and this year I finally decided to put my money where my mouth is and donate.


I tend not to round up at the cash register - I'm never sure how much money goes to the charities.

Also - as a side rant - I HATE the pass the boot, voluntary tollbooth, etc. type fund raisers. I am perfectly capable of donating money without the guilt trip or begging.

Next year I want to more automate giving so that it just gets paid monthly like a bill, but I haven't set anything up yet.

[TheOtherMe]

I make my donations throughout the year to a wide variety of charities who I feel strongly about.

I am another one who makes an annual donation to my alma mater in an attempt to thank them for the financial aid they provided to me so many years ago. Without that degree, I would not have had much success in life and I like to help today's students.

I also volunteer my time to a local non profit helping those less fortunate than me.

[mtshastawriter]

Even though we are on a lower income than most, we try to give to local charities and the local volunteer fire departments.