Charitable Donations

[Megan'sTouch 23875]

It's been some time now since I surpassed my "poor students" days and I think it's time I start giving back to a community that has given me so much.

 

I'm just curious to hear from people who donate money to charity. What charities do you donate to? Do you have a budget or system for how much you donate? How do you decide who to donate to?

[Code Blue 3585]

Hi Megan,

 

Good on you!

 

I chose local if I can unless there is an issue about which I feel very strongly and is better served with a more strategic donation.

 

Some groups are not actually charities under the Act, but appear to be so. The clue is they offer some kind of return, ad space or some kind of calendar with your name on. CRA will not allow these as tax deductions (I just got $500 of "donations disallowed!). Not to say don't give, but just so you know about the true financial implications.

 

Best set a budget, otherwise you can get "10%-ed" out of a lot of cash at the year's end.

 

My favourites are Mental Health and Hearing Impaired, basically because of their relevance to my life.

 

CB

[mrrnice2 157005]

Good topic Megan and a good question.

 

For many years I donated through payroll, automatic deductions to the United Way. In the Maritimes at least, United Way is the cover organization for many of the charities that used to canvas independantly.

 

Since retiring, I have moved from that to more local charities and they tend to vary. Heart and Stroke and Canadian Cancer Society still have community volunteers that canvas the neighbourhood so those are always automatic donations.

 

One SP that I have met 'adopts' a family each Christmas and I have always left her a donation toward that. Another I left a donation to go to POWER in Ottawa.

 

Actually, at this time, based on where I am at right now, I am considering POWER or a local womens shelter as areas that I might contribute to.

 

There are an infinite number of worthwhile organizations and causes, so it is a difficult, but important decision.

 

I shall be interested to see responses from others here.

[Old Dog 179138]

Well said CB.

 

I tend to think that the who and the how is entirely dependent on the individual. Charity in and of itself can come in many forms, like throwing extra change from your cup of Timmy's into the camp box, to buying the homeless person a cup of coffee to keep them warm, to volunteering at the food bank to making a large financial contribution to a registered charity that has relevance to you.

 

I don't think there is a set amount that is expected - it's not like a church tithe where you are expected to forfeit 10-20% of your gross earnings. I give what I feel I can, and when I give I do so for two reasons. It makes me feel good and it makes a difference to the recipient.

 

So advice? Go with what your heart tells you. You can't go wrong with that.

[toine 30556]

Go with your heart is my first piece of advice: charities exist for all the good causes within our communities, from helping expecting mothers who are socially isolated and need support and guidance (nutrition, etc.), to day camps and activities for young kids, to companionship and meals-on-wheels for seniors. There are Canada-registered charities for international causes (helping communities achieve self-sufficiency, victims of natural disasters, environmental concerns) and obviously funding health-related research.

Second, money is essential for charities to keep going, but nothing beats human interaction. If you have special talents or just time to offer, nothing comes close to the personal touch. But you know that already, from your experiences associated to POWERS.

There are some practical aspects to consider. Most charities devote too much resources and efforts to raising funds, so that at the end of the day, too small a percentage of one's donation goes to the cause, and too much to mass-mailing, slick PR folks, etc. I prefer to give $$$ anonymously, through the internet, as my name then does not appear on any mailing list (so no wasteful mass-mailing is triggered) and administrative costs are kept to a minimum. A good website is canadahelps, in my signature.

 

Finally, a quick background check using the CRA website can be useful. Look for the right cause in the right location for you (http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/chrts-gvng/lstngs/menu-eng.html) and then a bit of googling may allow determining its track record, its administrative efficiency, etc. They are scammers out there, so be careful, even among registered charities, so checking them out is a must.

 

Food banks have great needs for both $$$ and people of goodwill, and are to be found everywhere in the country. They always are a good choice.

[Lowdark 5613]

I donate to the United Way and Red Cross year round and certain charities at given times of year. The United Way disperses funds to a numbr of local charities. I find it the most effective system right now.

 

Good Luck!

[rdymango 673]

I make an annual donation to Unicef at the end of every year, typically a percentage of my commission. And then I make additional donations whenever there is a major disaster, like the present drought in the Horn of Africa. I've always had a soft spot for wanting to help the children in countries that simply don't have the wealth and infrastructure to provide basic necessities for their children.

[jg24 3707]

Well for me it is CHEO with a teenager and 2 grankids it is easy choice for me and has been for years

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[Victoria Banks 21899]

Once a year at Christmas is when I donate. A couple toy purchases for the toy mountain and a donation to the Ottawa Mission. Small donations around the year are articles I no longer want or need I donate to the Salvation Army. The odd time I will put some canned soup or whatnot in the donation bin at the grocery store. These are not significant donations by any means.

[etasman2000 15994]

My theory for donation started as a teen, it is based on the Principle of Abundance.

 

10% of income is an easy number to start with.

 

I like to eat and as such I donate to the Food Bank especially during the summer months.

[Code Blue 3585]

Great suggestion!

 

I had forgotten about these really, yet they are a very practical and local donation.

 

Utilisation of them in my part of the world is increasing - to the point where they are regularly stretched to meet demand, especially around the Christmas period.

 

Easy to add a couple of items at each trip to the grocery store.

 

CB -currently from THE city of expensive living!!!!!! :icon_rolleyes:

[Lexy Grace 103696]

I previously posted this on how I give back in the Charity Social Group.

 

I have three associations near and dear to my heart that I support with my time, money and items of need.

 

Every year my immediate family all get involved and fill a box for children to be sent to a place in need through my Mother's church.

 

I pick a families name off a local churches tree and provide the best Christmas I possibly can every Christmas. I remember my family being on one of those trees.

 

At the first of the school year I donate extra supplies to the teachers of my sons to help with the families that could not get all the supplies on the lists.

 

This is very personal to me and really only my regular "friends" know I have a jar that they can put change in prior to departing to help in my efforts. I call it "Lexy's Jar of Hope".

 

I grew up poor but didn't know it until I was a little older, my amazing mother worked very hard at low paying jobs but my sisters and I had no clue the struggle she went through to provide and not being ashamed to look for help during Christmas or to food banks when needed. I too have been able to identify with my Mother's struggles. For all she has done for my family and the love she provides, I do my best to never see her worry about providing anymore.

 

http://www.steppingstonens.ca/index.html

http://www.adsumforwomen.org

 

http://www.bryonyhouse.ca/

[Kubrickfan 12836]

Church, United Way (quite a bit ... its a great way to generally benefit your community), and various other charities in smaller amounts that solicit donations. We dont do phone donations.

 

Also dont forget clothing and other donations (in the US, that's to Goodwill or the Salvation Army). Some of those organizations will even send a truck for larger donations. And, although I dont know what the tax rules are in Canada related to charitable donations, I always get a receipt for the value of the goods for tax purposes.

 

all that being said, probably the single most rewarding way to contribute is with your time. Many of these organizations need people to help and you will usually only meet wonderful people that are a lot of fun to be around.

[Reddog2402 2218]

I think charitable giving has to come from the heart - there are an endless number of great causes, so find one that is dear to you.

 

Another consideration is that most of these organizations are significantly under-staffed, so you could consider giving time instead of money. Sometimes that can be very rewarding!

 

Personally, I support the local children's hospital, and an organization that works with at-risk youth. My company also sponsors families in need at Christmas, and gives a day to Habitat for Humanity. Everyone finds these to be great experiences.

 

Good luck, and have fun with it!

[Guest Hoot *****]

This is my first post so it will be moderated and likely won't appear for some time, however this is a high priority area for me as many worthwhile charitable organizations have had funding reduced or eliminated and/or rely solely on donations in order to continue their work. During the course of a year I donate to: The Canadian Red Cross; The Heart and Stroke Foundation; The Ottawa Mission, The Humane Society of Ottawa-Carleton; The Canadian Cancer Society; The Canadian Guide Dogs for the Blind and to the Arthritis Foundation. There's probably others I donated to on a sporadic basis such as the Legion's poppy campaign and the Kettle campaign as well along with the Snowsuit Fund. I've also volunteered for many of them over the years and until now I've never given much thought to the total annual donations I've given to them. Some people prefer to donate heavily to one particular registered charity and some like me try to spread it out. The main thing is to do something in the form of donations or volunteer work or both.