'Tis the Season, again, to celebrate our bountiful and
beautiful blessings by giving to others less fortunate than ourselves. I want to make this an annual column in
support of charity and good will toward men (and women). In that spirit, here are some tips on how
best to donate.
I guess we’ve all seen the stories that circulate in emails
about those huge salaries that directors of the large charitable organizations
draw. Whether or not they are truly
that large, there certainly are a lot of expenses involved with charitable
organizations that eat up our donations before they ever get to the intended
recipients.
If you care to see what percentage of donations get to those
in need, charitynavigator.org is one
of several online sites that rate them. Another one is the Forbes website,
and a third, and possibly the best of the three is Guidestar.org
because it actually has its own tips for choosing a charity.
Here are some neat ways to provide for those in need and
feel good about doing it on a personal, hometown level.
Most department stores have a layaway plan that enables
people to pay for Christmas gifts in increments. However, people who have to purchase in that fashion are likely
doing so because they aren’t able to afford payment in a lump sum.
You can aid those people anonymously on a selective basis to
pay off their layaway purchases. Don’t just blindly pay on someone’s layaway account, but try
to do some investigation (perhaps with the department manager) as to what is on
layaway and to whom the gifts will go.
Maybe the manager will have some useful input as to the financial
situation of some of the people who have gifts on layaway. In one case cited in an article I read, the
person in need was one of the store employees who had recently lost her husband
and was providing for several kids.
Of course, there are other ways that you can donate so that
some little boy or girl will get a gift.
The best ones I can think of are the United States Marines’ Toys for
Tots program and the Angel Tree (Salvation Army) that is usually in the
vestibule of Wal-Mart, Kmart or Target stores. And there is always the red
kettle and bell ringer of the Salvation Army. Donate to these programs if you
want to donate but cannot afford a large amount.
Another way to make your donation count is available at most
grocery stores. The local food banks
that feed the homeless and needy have suffered from the economic woes we’ve
experienced in recent years. When you check out with your food items, you can
also donate in increments to the food banks.
For as little as $5 you can provide a full meal to someone who might
otherwise have slipped through the cracks and either isn’t eligible or has not
applied for assistance. A lot of our disabled vets are in this category for one
reason or another.
If you go to McDonalds and get change for your purchase, put
it in the glass box in front of the cash register and it will go to the Ronald
McDonald House, another worthy cause. The proceeds are used to give comfort and
care to sick children and their families and provide temporary living quarters
for those who do not reside in the area where hospital care is given.
Don't forget that all donations to qualified non-profit
charitable organizations can be used as deductions from your taxable income if
you use Schedule A for itemized deductions. (Get a valid receipt from the
organization, if the donation is $250 or over.) My wife and I do not use Schedule A anymore, so that means we are
not able to take advantage of that tax break.
It doesn't make us less willing to give, but it is an incentive for some
people. We've even found a way to
bestow the tax break on our children.
I gave each of my adult kids a cash gift on Thanksgiving Day
with the suggestion that they pass that gift on to their own favorite
charities. Since both of them do
itemize deductions, they will also be able to use the deduction to reduce their
taxes for 2013. Those charitable gifts will
give three ways: 1) I know that I've
given a significant sum to charity, 2) My children have also donated and, 3)
There is a tax break for them on April 15th of 2014. It is a win-win for all and it is perfectly legal.
Whatever the gift, if you are blessed with some spare cash
and want to make a difference, I cannot think of a better way to do it than to
use one of these vehicles to donate and get the biggest “bang for the buck.”
And remember that charity doesn’t have to be a Christmastime
activity. As the song, The Secret of Christmas concludes, “...it’s not
the things you do at Christmas time, but the Christmas things you do all year
through.”
