Tips for Giving Tuesday
The traditional Christmas movie marathon started early this year at chez Patrick, with “Christmas with the Kranks.” If you haven’t seen this Scrooge-style comedy, Tim Allen proposes “skipping Christmas” in favor of a Caribbean cruise. Wife Jamie Lee Curtis insists on one exception: Charity donations.
Right on, Jamie.
On the heels of Black Friday/Cyber Monday’s spending frenzy is Giving Tuesday, today’s reminder that without our support, local charities couldn’t survive. As governments tighten budgets and cope with growth, services for neighbors in need tend to thin. Too easily as we click-donate to Facebook-fundraisers and other social media appeals, the crucial role of our own community’s nonprofits is overlooked.
As food, rent, and medical costs keep going up, need increases. At least nationally, so has giving; for the first time, charitable giving exceeded $400 billion in 2017, according to Giving USA’s annual report. How much of that stays close to home?
Donations are concentrated at year-end, coincident with the holiday spirit, and yes, tax deductions. Worthy causes are too many to mention; some have more tax benefits or may be closer to one’s heart for personal reasons.
Any amount helps, but for tighter budgets time is as precious as currency. Volunteers are a hot commodity, and that human-to-human connection does hearts on both sides good.
Consider these tips from nonprofits and Charitynavigator.org:
1. Follow your philanthropic passions: Not every worthy organization matches individual priorities. Several address abuse (e.g., CASA, Safe Passage, ICARE); homelessness and poverty (St. Vincent de Paul, food banks); or multiple causes (United Way, 3Cs, churches). With hundreds of area nonprofits, no matter the cause you support, there’s likely a charity to match.
2. Ensure efficiency and accountability: Is the charity fiscally healthy? Transparent? Does it get the results the mission pursues? Those which publicly share financial and governing information are less likely to have problems, even unintentional.
Donors may peruse news (searchable at CdaPress.com), the nonprofit’s website, perhaps call and talk to staff about their impact. Beyond heartwarming stories, consider the work’s quality and depth. Do they measure performance, report to supporters, and track progress? No one is perfect, but healthy boards adapt, improve, and learn from identified problems.
3. Recognize it won’t all go to programs: To build donor confidence, some charities say 100 percent donated goes toward the mission, although it can be difficult. However calculated, all have some administrative, infrastructure, or fundraising expenses. It varies by nature of the work, but such expenses on average leave about 75 percent of budget to programs and services.
4. The IRS gives back. While charity isn’t all about tax benefits, some offer more than others. All qualified charitable giving offers deductions. However, local schools and colleges (public or private), and other educational programs, such as that offered locally by Tesh to empower people with disabilities, have additional tax credits — which collectively mean up to 75 percent of contributions may come back to donors at tax time.
5. Share your intentions and make a commitment: One-time donations help, but charities need reliable incomes so they can better budget. Once you identify the charity that matches your passion, consider even a small monthly or quarterly commitment, thus becoming a partner in the charity’s efforts to effect real change in your own community.
Who else will support them if not the community they serve?
If you can’t find the charity you’re looking for, send me an email. I’d be glad to help.
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Sholeh Patrick is a columnist for the Hagadone News Network who has served on several local nonprofit boards. Email: [email protected]