http://blog.speakcorp.com a marketplace for Speakers, trainers and consultants Tue, 19 Jan 2010 20:52:32 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 en hourly 1 http://blog.speakcorp.com/2009/11/26/giving-to-charity-in-lean-times/ http://blog.speakcorp.com/2009/11/26/giving-to-charity-in-lean-times/#comments Fri, 27 Nov 2009 00:05:07 +0000 admin http://blog.speakcorp.com/?p=229 Typically the holiday season includes an outpouring of helping those in need.  Roughly half of all charitable contributions are made during the final quarter of the year.  You may have even detected a tone of desperation from the non-profit organizations calling your home or business trying to stay afloat.  If you were used to giving generously to a variety of causes but find you’ve had to tighten the belt, how do you decide what to give and where?  Here is a list of suggestions that may help you.

• A time for Reflection - Think about what is near and dear to you.  We all have our own reasons for giving to anything from a cancer fund to the arts in our community.  Focus your efforts on what matters most to you.

• Take time to Investigate -  Take a moment to evaluate how much your donation goes toward administrative costs vs. benefiting who it’s intended for.  Charity Navigator provides ratings on charities that may be helpful in your decision making process.

• Volunteer, Volunteer, Volunteer – If you are tight on funds you can volunteer your time which is worth more than your money at times.  You don’t have to look far to find a soup kitchen or even offer your services and expertise to charitable organizations.

• Clean Up the Earth – Too overwhelmed or over committed to sign up for something structured?  I saw a lady in a local park the other day picking up trash out of the goodness of her heart.  No one told her to do it or paid her for her time, she just valued the local park that she walked in so much she felt inclined to take the initiative.  We shouted out a big “Thank You” out the window.  Open your eyes to your local city, park or beach and beautify it on your own.

• Get the Kids Involved – Our children are the adults and leaders of tomorrow.   We are living in a world of excess even in a recession.  Now is a great time to teach our children a lesson on giving.  If they learn to appreciate that forgoing that video game could buy a village a goat or some ducks, they may shift their mindset from feeling sorry for themselves to truly experiencing the biblical principle of “more happiness in giving than receiving”.  www.YouthGive.org allows children to create a profile of charities that interest them in an effort to get friends and family to contribute.

]]> http://blog.speakcorp.com/2009/11/26/giving-to-charity-in-lean-times/feed/ 0