Only in the last few years of my life have I started making enough money to have extra money to play with. I have always been a cheapskate and am not usually very generous, mostly because I’ve never had a lot of money. But now my income has gotten pretty high and I feel I should give more money to charity.
I found a web site that said the average American donates about 3.2% of his income to charity, which I’m ashamed to say is way more than I donate. On the other hand, I plan to leave all my money to charity when I die, rather than to relatives, since I have no dependents. By the time I die it’s possible I might have as much as a million dollars to leave behind. Do you think that makes up for a miserly track record of charitable donations while I was alive?
Also, I’ve done charity work in the past and I do it occasionally now. I also donate used items to Goodwill or similar organizations. I’ll cheerfully donate a used item that I could get decent money for on eBay or at a yardsale.
The same website that says the average American donates 3.2% suggests that 5% might be a nice goal, which I agree with. I just can’t get past my fear that I might want that money back some day when times get hard.
What say you?
1- What percentage of one’s income do you think is good to donate to charity?
2- What percentage do you donate?
3- Do you volunteer? And if you do, does it count in place of monetary donations?
4- Do you, like me, fear that you might need that money some day?
5- If I am stingy during my lifetime, but leave a great big windfall to charity when I die, does that make up for it? Thanks
Don’t know. Between clothing, food and money. . .don’t know.
Yes and yes. We deliver food boxes to the disabled elderly. I’m donating my time and gas to do it, and that’s money.
No. It’s pointless to worry about things that haven’t happened yet, despite what the media and politicians would have you believe (see Matt Lauer’s stoopid narration of possible ways the planet might end :rolleyes: )
Sure, why not? But in the meantime, a lot of people are not benefiting from your generosity.
Just be careful who you give your donations to. Many groups end up taking large percentages for overhead costs.
What say you?
1- What percentage of one’s income do you think is good to donate to charity?
I do not think there is an answer to this.
2- What percentage do you donate?Apparently I am cheap, my wife an I only donate about 1.5% of our income.
3- Do you volunteer? And if you do, does it count in place of monetary donations?I volunteer a lot of time to an environmental group I am in. I think that and giving blood does have some value. I have also made large Social investments to hopefully help change the world. We are diligent in donating old clothing and generally do as much as possible to help the environment and the humane society.
4- Do you, like me, fear that you might need that money some day?I never thought about it. I do not think that is worth worrying about. You can drive yourself crazy in many ways. Giving is generally good and should not be regretted.
5- If I am stingy during my lifetime, but leave a great big windfall to charity when I die, does that make up for it? That sounds fine to me, but again, I do not think you should think there is a ledgersheet someone is keeping. Give because it makes you fell good and you think it will help out something or someone you believe in.
I think I fall right in that 3-4% range, or at least I did last year. Like you I worry about needing that money for some emergency later. We’re comfortable, but we don’t have any ‘cushion’ if something like a drastic medical situaton should come up, and the amount we’ve put towards retirement is pathetic. I’d like to give around 10%, honestly, but I don’t see it happening unless my income rises enough for me to save more as well. Instead of giving large sums to a few charities, I give small amounts to many. For some reason that makes me feel like I am doing more.
1- What percentage of one’s income do you think is good to donate to charity?
I feel 10%
2- What percentage do you donate? 5-10%. It is the largest single category of our spending.
3- Do you volunteer? And if you do, does it count in place of monetary donations? Yes, we volunteer. Now I don’t consider it a replacement, I consider it a complement. It doesn’t feel right to give only money, not time. In the past when money was tight, I felt that way more so.
4- Do you, like me, fear that you might need that money some day?I
Yes, I do worry about that. I am hugely concerned about retirement savings and no more Social Security and health insurance. I save a lot for retirement, too.
5- If I am stingy during my lifetime, but leave a great big windfall to charity when I die, does that make up for it? Well, in a way I agree with the point that no one is keeping a balance sheet on you, but in a way some of us keep balance sheets on ourselves. One thing is that it can be very enjoyable to see your money at work doing good in the world. So as you get older you can better weigh the tradeoffs between the uncertainty of the future and the pleasure of seeing your donations at work.
1- What percentage of one’s income do you think is good to donate to charity? I don’t really have an opinion on what other people do re charitable giving.
2- What percentage do you donate? I give 10% of my net income to my church. I also have automatic deduction (1% of gross, I think) through my office charity drive. Add a trip or two to Salvation Army each year.
3- Do you volunteer? And if you do, does it count in place of monetary donations? Not really. Not in the “charity” sense. It’s easier for me to give money than time.
4- Do you, like me, fear that you might need that money some day?. “Some day”? No. I’m also putting away for retirement, so I’m not worried about “someday.” Every once in a while I’ll think about what I could buy *now * with those monthly checks, but it is a fleeting thought. It’s just “stuff.” I don’t begrude the giving.
**5- If I am stingy during my lifetime, but leave a great big windfall to charity when I die, does that make up for it? ** I guess. But again, while I may judge people on a lot of things (actions, beliefs, decisions, etc), this is not one of those subjects. Do what you want.
The measurement should be based on disposable income to make any sense. If you don’t have much money after paying bills then even a small percentage represents a big commitment.
I once had several non profits that I regularly donated to, but I got very tired and annoyed at being deluged w/ mail and phone calls from others seeking money, who obviously got my personal information from the people I was giving to. I no longer give, I think charitable organizations have screwed themselves with ripoffs, deceptions and personal greed. I often help people on a personal level, but I no longer give to charitable organizations.
1- What percentage of one’s income do you think is good to donate to charity?
What ever you can comfortably afford. I don’t have a negative opinion of people who donate nothing.
2- What percentage do you donate?
Very little. Less than 1%, all to Kids with Cancer in Australia.
3- Do you volunteer? And if you do, does it count in place of monetary donations?
No I don’t, but it would count. I get paid for my time at work. I can give some of that money to a charity, or I can give some of my time to charity, the two are much the same IMO, and in fact giving time probably has a more direct impact in most circumstances.
4- Do you, like me, fear that you might need that money some day?
I fear that I might need the money tomorrow! Money is a bit tight with us, but then, our life style is ok so we could donate more if we were more frugal with our own lives.
5- If I am stingy during my lifetime, but leave a great big windfall to charity when I die, does that make up for it?
It makes up for it if you think it does.
I think that giving to a charity is a personal decision. If you give because it is expected, or you feel you have to, or you won’t go to heaven or something, then that diminishes the act of giving.
I am among the bunch that donates what they can, but I don’t exactly make very much money as a full-time student. When I have the money to spare, I drop a $20 in the SPCA donation box, otherwise I prefer to donate my time volunteering in the evenings when I can. The SPCA as an example, being able to donate time is just as important if not more so than donating a few bucks now and then. In the best of times they work a skeletal shift, and having one or two volunteers in the puppy areas really helps. Its not pretty work, especially cleaning out cages and mopping floors, but it is so nice to see the little buggers adopted out to good families!
Plus, in slow times, I get to play with the cuties all I want!
I have no idea how much I donate to charity, because my “charitable” donations tend to be helping pay for stuff around the high school I donate–I’ve bought kids sweatshirts for clubs, quietly paid for AP exams and books, bought yearbooks, provided school supplies, had my car washed, donated to choir . . . none of it is huge, but it adds up. In the same way, I help out with events, organize clubs, mentor students, etc. It’s not really clear where my job ends and where the volunteering begins. I DON’T give money to other school’s fundraisers when they come around, which may be bad but I want to give my money to my kids.
I’ve also had quite a bit of money donated in my name to the PTA. Do I get credit for that?
In the end, I feel like I am doing good in the world–though not enough to equal all the advantages I’ve had–and I am content.
Thanks for all the replies. I know it can be a tricky subject to talk about because lots of people like to do their charitable giving without drawing attention to it.
I have a better handle on my feelings about giving to charity now that I’ve read your responses. I’ll probably adjust my donations upwards once I figure out my balance sheet and make sure that my retirement and my health insurance are in good shape. Plus I’ll get out and do some volunteer work again.
I guess I give around the average, 3-5%. I give to the Carter Center, Doctors Without Borders, and the Heifer Project. When I have items to donate they go to the local women’s shelter. I could give more, though - almost everybody could, honestly, if it were a priority. If I gave up eating out, for example, I could give a lot more. Sometimes I feel guilty about that. I have volunteered in the past but not regularly and I don’t at the moment.
I got a very snotty letter from my alumnae association’s giving chair about how we don’t give enough and giving the distinct impression that whatever charities we give to, we ought to dump some of them and give to the annual fund. Excuse me? My automatic giving to Doctors Without Borders can supply clean water to a refugee camp every month. Those people should go thirsty so a women’s college with something like the ninth highest endowment per person in the country can have fifteen bucks a month?! Oooh, I was mad. I didn’t give them a cent.
1 - I don’t think anyone should care how much of your income you donate to charity. Not donating doesn’t necessarily make you a greedy bastard, and even if you donated 50 percent you still might be an asshole.
2 - Very little, as I have little disposable income, but as a rule I only donate to charities and programs the benefit children in some way, disabled or otherwise, or cancer programs.
3 - I do volunteer a lot, though. I used to run the snack bar at the local Alano club (where AA meetings and such are held - these places are run ENTIRELY on volunteer effort and are always available to addicts and alcoholics that need them, so it’s a worthy cause). I help out at the library, donate time to our local homeless programs, and help out with the school districts homeless children program. I feel that donating my time is more valuable than donating my money, which I don’t have a lot of (I do have a lot of time, though).
4 - Yes, I do. Having spent most of my life poor, I’m weird about money. I am always pondering whether or not I’ll be able to make ends meet in two years. I try to brush it off, though.
5 - I don’t think, like a lot of people have said, that anyone’s keeping track of your charity donation record. I do think, however, that the charities in question (and make sure they’re good charities, as some are jerks about it - one local charity I REFUSE to donate time or money to gets good food for christmas baskets and the good stuff, cokes, huge turkeys, nice stuffing, et cetera, ends up going home with the administrators) would be more than happy if you left them your money.
1- What percentage of one’s income do you think is good to donate to charity?
I’m having a hard time answering this without being very hypocritical. I’m inclined to agree with others who say that 3-5% is a good number (and I’m really in awe of those who tithe) but I also know that I’m not likely to donate that much in the near future. 2- What percentage do you donate?
Less than 1%, depending on how you count it. I might barely make it over 1% if all of my donations count, but most of them are not to typical charitable organizations. I give a few hundred a year to the college I graduated from, partly earmarked for a small scholarship for competitive dance and part to general revenues I suppose some of that helps . I give $50-100 a year to the ACLU, the EFF, and Planned Parenthood. Excepting the last, the majority of that is political, rather than charitable. I give to other organizations like the Red Cross as news of disaster dictates.
**3- Do you volunteer? And if you do, does it count in place of monetary donations?**I give blood regularly. I suppose that counts as volunteering. I have helped out with some charitable organizations in the past, but do not do so regularly. 4- Do you, like me, fear that you might need that money some day?
Absolutely. I’m trying to make sure that I save as much as I can. I’m still young, but I anticipate wanting money for a house, for as-yet-unsired children’s college expenses, for retirement.
**5- If I am stingy during my lifetime, but leave a great big windfall to charity when I die, does that make up for it?**Maybe, but I doubt it. It sounds an awful lot like an “if I’m wrong, I’ll repent on my deathbed” philosophy.
