Research charities before you give
Donating money to charitable organizations is an excellent lesson in teaching our children about the value of giving to worthy causes.
We all get the phone calls from local, national and international charities seeking donations (usually around supper-time). It’s hard to say no, but we can’t say yes to everyone either, so how do we discriminate?
Start by contemplating your own personal values and causes. Often, it’s the causes that have hit home to us personally that warrant our donations. If you’ve had a family member touched by cancer, you may choose to make a donation to the Canadian Cancer Society. If you know someone who has been hurt by a drunk driver, you may choose to donate to MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving). And of course, your choices may change.
Just because you’ve donated to one charity one year, you’re under no obligation to continue donating to the same organization on a regular basis. It’s your money. You can pick and choose.
If you want to get your children involved, you might want to consider contributing to a charity that sponsors needy children in developing countries. Your children can become involved by writing letters, seeing photos and learning about life in another part of the world.
If you want to stick a little closer to your own community, your children can still become involved. For example, they can donate used toys and clothing to a women’s shelter or raise money for a local animal welfare group.
Your kids can get involved by going through their things to choose items to donate or they can raise money for a charity of their own choice by having a yard sale or babysitting. You can even take them to the local food bank with a food donation so they can see how a food bank operates and learn about people’s needs in their own community.
Before writing your cheque to a charity, take the time to do a bit of research. Find out about the philosophy, goals and mission statement of the organization you have selected. What percentage of donations actually goes to the front line of the cause you’re supporting and how much goes to administration and other costs?
You may be surprised to find out how many dollars it takes to operate the organization. Also, make sure the organization that is soliciting your dollars is reputable that has a registered charitable number and issues income tax receipts.
Charitable donations can make a popular gift or memorial. A great gift for that relative who has everything is a donation to their favourite charity or cause. A card or certificate will usually be sent to the recipient announcing who has made a donation in their name. If a loved one has died, think about a cause that was dear to their heart and let people know that they may make a donation to that charity or to a charity of their choice.
So often people want to help, but don’t know how. An opportunity to make a donation is an appropriate way to show you care. Again, a card will be sent to the family indicating that you have made a donation to a particular charity in memory of the deceased.
Once you have given to the charity or charities of your choice, there’s nothing wrong with saying no to other solicitations. A simple, “Thank you for calling, but I have already given to the charities of my choice this year� is perfectly acceptable. And never feel guilty that you’re not donating enough. Every dollar counts.
By all means, teach your children to be generous. Without donations from individuals and businesses, many causes would never be able to move forward.
Give generously, but give carefully and with purpose.
Lila Hope-Simpson is the Director of the Home and Heart Nursery School in Wolfville
