As we all reflect on the reality of thechanging economic landscape right now, Ijust want to give you some food for thoughton charitable giving. No one can tell youhow to spend your money, but I did stopand ponder a few days ago when I heardabout how charities are affected during aneconomic downturn. Some interesting pointswere brought to my attention, and I want topass them along. And they all lead to thesame conclusion: I really believe you don’thave to completely stop giving to charities.
If you cannot give at the same levels youhave in the past, just lower the amount youcontribute. For example, if you normallycontribute $500 to a charity once a month,give less, even if it’s as little as $5. While thatamount may seem small and meaningless,it can combine with “small” donations fromothers to add up to something much bigger.And it will help you and the charity in a coupleof other ways as well.
1. You will still be in the habit of givingmoney to charity. Taking out the money,writing that check, and keeping the charityon your radar are important actions becausethey keep the name of the charity in yourbudget; consequently, when times get better,you’ll be able to return easily to your previouslevels of giving.
2. Charities can still retain bragging rights ifyou support them, no matter how small yourcontribution. Even if you contribute a nominalamount, your company name can remain onliterature, which will help them with theiradvertising during these tight times, andkeep them on the corporate radar.
And if you simply cannot donate anythingfinancially, find another way to help. Somenon–monetary ways to support your charityinclude volunteering, donating items suchas clothing or food, or attending fundraisingmeetings and offering your energy andbrainpower!
volunteer with a nationwide organizationcalled Girls Inc., which I first became acquaintedwith in San Antonio. I recently asked my friendAda Soto, Director of Girls Inc San Antonio, forsome thoughts on the topic of giving duringtough financial times. Specifically, I asked herwhy people should continue to give whenmoney is tight. She answered, “When wereach out to others and give our energy andtime, we not only make a real difference in thelives of others but give ourselves the gifts ofinner pride, overwhelming joy, and authenticsatisfaction. These gifts can never be takenaway or diminished, regardless of the state ofthe economy.” www.girlsincsa.org.
I am a firm believer that networking andbuilding relationships makes the businessworld go ’round. I believe this applies toour relationship with charities as well. Justas you would not want a business deal orpartnership to let you down during a tougheconomic time, so you should not turn yourback on your charitable causes. Let’s simplymake adjustments accordingly and keep ongoing!
If you are just starting out and want to beginhelping a charity, remember these notes.
Make sure the gift is made to a qualifiedorganization, which typically includes religious,charitable, scientific, literary or educationalorganizations like United Way or the Red Cross.A list of charitable organizations recognizedby the IRS (IRS publication 78) can be found atwww.irs.gov.
So remember this as you budget for2009: cut back, but don’t cut out. We can allstay connected and help each other duringthis time. As my father says, “There’s alwayssomething around the corner!” We can getthere together.
