As you walk speedily along, humming a tune, “Silver bells, silver bells…,” you wrap your coat more tightly around you and check things off that Christmas shopping list. For a moment, you look up and catch the eye of the person next to the red kettle waving her bell. You stop for a second and glance back down at your list. That clanging bell reminds you that you forgot to add someone to your list. But, you’re not sure who it is because you haven’t decided which charity you’re going to support this year or if you even have the money to give away. You tentatively bite your lip…what is the best way to do this?
During the holidays it’s not uncommon to receive as many charitable solicitations as Christmas cards in your mailbox. The difficulty is in choosing which one deserves your hard-earned money. The myriad pictures of adorable children and pathetic animals staring back at you in those letters rife with heart-wrenching stories do nothing to make the decision easier. However, there are a few steps you can take to help you decide the best way for your family to give and how to weed through that stack of requests (and, yes, potential scams) to find the cause that your family can feel confident in supporting.
1. Determine how you are going to give. Perhaps you would really like to give this year but money is tight and it’s just not in the budget. Here are a few suggestions that might help you to give without breaking the bank.
- Volunteer your time. Many organizations receive large amounts of non-monetary donations around the holidays (toys, clothing, blankets, food). Someone has to sort through all of that stuff. Why not volunteer a few hours to organize donations, hand out food boxes or serve a meal?
- Combine gifts with giving. Instead of giving obligatory gifts to people who don’t really need them, try making a charitable donation in honor of the gift recipient. Some organizations such as World Vision (www.worldvision.org) help to make this fun. You can choose from a catalog that contains useful gifts for people around the world. You can buy a well for a village, a goat for a family or a backpack of school supplies for a foster child. The price range is broad, offering options for all budgets.
- Choose charitable greeting cards. Many organizations offer Christmas cards for sale and a portion of the proceeds will be given to the charity.
- Ask the members of your family to each give up one gift this year and donate the money to charity or buy a gift for someone in need.
- Purchase your Christmas decorations or other items from an organization. Buy your Christmas tree from the Fire Company, your wreath from the Boy Scouts or your Christmas dessert from the church bake sale.
2. Before opening that first philanthropic request letter or doing a Google search for “charity”, your next step should be to clarify the type of issues that matter most to your family. There are thousands of worthy causes out there but they will not all be a good fit for your family.
- Start by asking each family member which causes are important to them – orphans, animals, the homeless, people who are sick, the elderly, veterans, the environment, education?
- Where do you prefer that the charity do their work – in your neighborhood, in your region, in your country or internationally?
- Do you prefer to support a large or small charity, a newer one or a more established one?
- If your family members can’t decide on one organization, give each family member a chance to choose their own charity for their donation or volunteering their time using the criteria below.
3. Now that you’ve clarified your preferences, you can begin to look at the requests you’ve received and place them through your priority filter. If you haven’t received any requests, you can begin searching databases such as the American Institute of Philanthropy (www.charitywatch.org) or Charity Navigator (www.charitynavigator.org). Sites such as these maintain a comprehensive list of various charities and rate them on strict criteria to help ensure that you are giving to a reputable organization.
4. Once you have a short list of charities, you should review their mission statements online or ask to see some of their literature to determine if their values match up with your priorities. Eliminate the ones that do not.
5. Verify your chosen organization’s legitimacy. If you have chosen your organization from one of the database sites above then they will be legitimate tax-exempt charities. If you have chosen one from another source then you can ask to see their letter of determination from the IRS. This letter certifies that they are, indeed, a government recognized non-profit.
6. Talk with someone at the organization. They should be able to clearly state the organization’s objectives for achieving the goals they lay out based on their mission statement. Ask for a specific list of ways that they meet their goals and examples of how those goals have been successfully met in the past.
7. Ask to see the financials. Any organization that is unwilling to share their financial information with you should send up a red flag. Choose a different charity to support.
8. Call your charity of choice and ask them exactly what their needs are at the moment. Some need man-power, some need money and still others need toys, clothing, blankets or food. There may even be specific and unique needs that you could fill but you won’t know unless you ask. Don’t assume what a charity might need, it may turn out to be a waste of your resources and effort and a waste of the organization’s time.
9. Trust your gut. If a charity is pushy about your giving or not forthcoming with information that you request before you give then walk away. There are plenty of upfront, trustworthy organizations out there that need your help.
Don’t give up on giving just because it can seem overwhelming. With these simple steps, you can begin to discover the best part of the holiday season – giving to those who need it most. You just might start a new family tradition of paying it forward.
