Here’s some not-so-happy Christmas news for you…
Apparently a number of charities have experienced noticeable declines in donations this year. This isn’t terribly surprising given the economic challenges that we’re currently facing, but it’s a bit of a double whammy, as more people than average are asking for help this year.
So… Please consider spreading some holiday cheer by supporting your favorite charities.
[Source: Boston Globe]
My wife and I base our giving on a percentage of our pre-tax income, so our giving moves in sync with our income. We give a certain percentage to our church and then split another percent-based amount among a number of other charities we support.
Using a percentage-based approach works well for us, and helps keep us on track with giving. It also means that as long as our income doesn’t drop, our giving won’t.
Hope this is helpful to others.
I think part of this is that people were charitied out. We had so many natural disasters in a short period of time that people felt compelled to give even if they hadn’t budgeted for that much giving. Now we are seeing the pendulum swing the other way.
I hate to admit it, but I also have reduced the amount I’ve given this year. I did it in large part because my primary employer didn’t give us raises this year, and I needed to make up a bit of a budget shortfall. Instead, I did more volunteer work for my temple; not quite the same, but it helped my bottom line and I did feel okay about it in the end.
–
Ryan
http://uncommon-cents.net/