Because of that, I tend to give $20 to each of these. The people trying to fund raise really appreciate it because it takes the pressure off of them, and I build good will from the act of making the donation as well as donating to a worthy cause, even if it’s not one I would ordinarily think to donate to.

That said, my husband and I also make a couple of larger donations to organizations that are close to us each year.

PATH actually arranges trips for donors to travel to remote parts of the world to see the effects their donations have.

That being said, I frequently turn down donations to worthy causes (even in the checkout line), not because they aren’t good, but because I know the things I care most deeply about.

One of the frustrating things about giving a little money to a lot is that you get on the mailing list and before a few months have passed you wonder if they haven’t spent nearly every dime of your gift entreating you for more. The printing and mailing costs alone bother me.

Much of my giving is through my church and our benevolence and mission work to impoverished souls right here in the US, but I support One.org to help alleviate poverty and disease in parts of the world that have been ravaged by war, gross poverty, disease and evil leaders who care nothing if their people are starving and dying. I support local charities in ways that make sense to me and for causes that mean the most to me, like the Children’s Hospital that helped both my niece and a friend’s little boy following traumatic brain injury.

I keep a jar for change that goes to one cause I feel strongly about and it is one way to give in a fairly painless way.

As for the question, why give if you’re in debt? I cannot spend all my money digging myself out of debt. We still eat out with friends on occasion and see the occasional movie, buy the occasional book. If I am willing to treat myself, why would I withhold charity to those who most desperately need it so that I can get out of debt just the tiniest bit faster?

At the moment, however, we are treading water, and due to a job loss and other unfortunate circumstances are simply keeping our head above water. We are not currently paying down debt, we are staying afloat, and scraping out a bit for fun and a bit for charity. Giving to others reminds me that our situation isn’t as dire as it feels. I am reminded that I have a roof over my head that would be the envy and delight of much of the world’s population. I am reminded that the food budget that is so tight would still feed many children in developing nations. I am reminded that while I struggle to fill my tank, others walk everywhere they go and may not have shoes. It puts things in perspective, so it is good for those to whom the charity goes and it is good for me as well. Win-win.

I support a few local charities, and for helping abroad I loan money at no interest to people through a microloan program (www.kiva.org)– I can choose the projects I fund, so the money will not be used to support projects that are contrary to my values (e.g. I am vegan so I do not wish to loan money to someone who raises livestock or has a butcher shop). I also am able to see photos of the people I am loaning money to and read about what they do. Sometimes a hand up is as good as a handout!

It makes an excellent case for choosing one charity and focusing your giving.

http://www.slate.com/id/2034/

Thanks for the blog – keep up the good work.

Unlike all those moochers on welfare, you mean? Yay for myths & stereotypes. I hope one day you may learn to be more compassionate & open-minded.

I’ll not be returning to this blog.

It was interesting to read your comments that charities are ’set up’ for small donations – I’ve often thought if my odd couple of dollars here and there to various street fundraisers were wasted.

The book also provides interesting considerations of various charitable actions. For example devoting time or receiving benefit from a donation are not economically equal to donating a dollar and receive special consideration.

The title of the book is strange, but I think that it is very provocative.

When you think about it, there’s no difference between debtors who give to charity, and people with no debt who give– both are choosing to use a portion of their money (of their goals, of their “future”, as Trent would say) to help others. Everyone could use more money. But the poor could use it more than most.

I really like the idea of channeling the idea of the “latte factor” into a pool of funds to assist people. Our $120/year could not have anywhere near the impact by itself that it does via this group.

With that said, I look forward to being able to do more charitable giving, both domestically and internationally, in the future.

P.S.
George W. Bush has killed over a Million Humans!

For those of you considering how to evaluate a charity or other nonprofit, I urge you to read and think about this post by the President of the D.C. Central Kitchen. I work in a medium-sized (about 125 employees) local nonprofit, and I can tell you that it’s often disheartening for our frontline staff to realize that their financial situation isn’t necessarily any better than that of the needy clients coming through the door. Administrative overhead does have value, especially when it goes into things like staff salaries, health insurance, and retirement funds. How can a nonprofit fulfill its mission to make its community a better place when it can’t provide a living wage or adequate health insurance to its staff, who are members of that very community?