Poll: Do you donate to charity?
Out of curiosity after the new Gates letter was published (http://annualletter.gatesfoundation.org/?cid=bg_fb_po0_012103/#section=home)
Not because I don't believe I should, but I still don't feel like I'm at the stage where we can afford to, given how expensive life in the Bay Area is. We live well within our means (2 cheap cars, no cable tv, eat-in most days of the week, ...), but the idea of having to pay for a ridiculous mortgage to live in a safe area with good schools, pay for a nanny to take care of our kids because we work so many hours, having to save for our retirement, saving for our kids' educations scares the hell out of me, and puts a freeze on any extraneous spending of money. I feel like we are one dot-com-bust away from total financial disaster.
Once we have a more stable financial picture in the next 10 years or so, I definitely would like to donate my money, and maybe more importantly, my time, but until then, I think I will abstain from donating.
Dream on. You'll never donate. How pathetic. Who do you expect is able to give except Gates and Soros?
50 million on food stamps in "the richest country", while "poorer" countries fare much better - you should have some voters here. The only problem - you need gazillions to make it to the TV screens so that you end up being electable. There goes your democracy.
I'm lucky to have a very good salary, at least for a young guy in one of his first jobs, who doesn't have many financial obligations.
Until about a month ago, I felt very comfortable with my finances and, on paper, would definitely be able to donate to nonprofits. But I recently had a medical emergency that cost thousands (even with good insurance).
Things will work out fine, but the situation has completely reshaped my financial situation and ability to give.
As well, the 2009 financial crisis had me scared as well, but I was a lot more financially prepared for that.
Now that we have kids, the equation changed once again, and my requirements for financial stability have changed even further.
It sounds you may be lacking perspective. I highly recommend visiting the poorest places of your own city, much less the poorer countries of the world. You might be surprised at the effect it will have on you; I know it does me every time.
You say you don't donate because you don't feel rich, but maybe you don't feel rich precisely because you don't donate.
If you don't feel rich, you're probably doing all kinds of other things to sabotage your financial success that are more than canceling out the cost of a little charity here and there.
Like I said, I'm not against donating money whatsoever, and I definitely have plans to donate in the future. Besides donating more of my income later on, some of my more ambitious plans are to take on foster children, and give them access to the good schools in my area once my children have grown a bit older.
Is there a particular reason why people feel that I should be donating immediately, given I have pretty specific donation plans in the future?
Yeah. The road to hell is paved with good intentions.
My bank has free bill pay, so my wife and I have an automatic check sent out every month to a local all-volunteer charity that does very worthwhile work. We never see that money and we budget around the income we have left over. Whenever I peek at my bank statements and see those debits, I'm reminded of what we're doing.
Even a small amount, say $50/month, is a great start. This also forces you to find a worthwhile cause now, and to attach yourself to and actively re-evaluate that cause on an ongoing basis. It becomes a part of your life instead of your future.
All that said, thanks for the honest discussion. This stuff is important.
As to the OP's posting about waiting vs donating currently. Remember there is no time like the present and perhaps it needs to be thought of like loosing weight, you can always put it off but a little of what is good for you each day is sustaining.
Plus, loosing a small percentage of your income probably won't make you any richer, but it might make someone else's life much better. A little money can save someone's life, can the same be said for what is 'waiting' in your pocket?
It's also super easy to help, you just need to donate a small amount of cash. You don't have to invest any of your time or to think and plan deeply about it. The advantage of small donations over large donations is that you don't have the same emotional attachment to how well spent your donation is gonna be. (Just investigate briefly which organizations support causes which you care about and look into how well-managed their funds are - usually most of these organizations are pretty transparent, and consistently managed over the years. So you can pick a few favorites and give to them blindly afterwards.)
One big advantage of numerous small donations is also that you can contribute to many causes you are attached to without having to "choose one". As far as I'm concerned, I give to food banks, emergency relief organizations, human & digital rights associations, and environmental protection associations, because I find all these causes to be important.
Like others have mentioned though, it's very easy to get in the mindset of "When I have $x, I'll be able to give". Financial security and piece of mind for your family is obviously very important, but generally, getting to a point where you can give is more about a mindset than actual numbers. If you don't feel you have enough now to give, it's unlikely like you ever will. Not everyone can have Bill Gates money :).
I recently was in a class that taught economic discipleship at my church that worked on transforming both mind and heart to be responsible financially. This means not only giving more, but also being responsible with budgeting (accountability for own finances), giving responsibly (to responsible charities), and spending happily (being grateful for one's own wealth). One "homework" we did was to start by cutting some of the excess in our life to save money. These were very simple things like cutting out a latte a week, eating in more, driving less, etc. The actual amount itself may not have been significant to start, but it keeps you very conscientious of where money leaks, and how that money could benefit others. We then researched charities to find ones doing the most impactful work and gave some of that money we saved. We also gave a larger contribution over a longer term by designating different percentages of our salaries/bonuses as not our own, but for others.
These little steps help make giving and being aware of the need elsewhere in the world a daily part of your life rather than something that seems like a distant dream or something you do before the end of the tax year. I am by no means some giving expert, but I've been working on these very things myself with my family and hope it can help make a dent on the poverty and inequities in the world. Gates's letter gives us great hope and motivation that our efforts today and not tomorrow can and will have enormous implications for the well-being of the world's population.
Are you serious, or are you joking?
You are basically a 1% and you can't even give anything to charity.
It's your choice like all 1% but a least own the fact you are selfish.
I prefer to try and donate locally if possible. Yes, there are a lot of global opportunities to help, but I prefer trying to make a small difference where I live.
I actually get a great deal of joy from giving money/stuff away.
With that in mind, I've operated a tithe for over 15 years now. If I give before the funds are available to me I have always adjusted accordingly and never felt like I was burdened or put out by donating.
When I've tried giving what I have left at the end of the month (rather than immediately after receiving income), I find I can't afford it. Then I make excuses about how it's hard to afford it.
Give early, give when you're earning little, give a % and let the amount increase with your earnings.
What I actually donate has dropped significantly, because I moved from being employed to founding a company and my earnings collapsed. But it remains a similar % as always.
The original inspiration for this was speaking to some co-workers many years ago who are Muslim, and their sharing the fact that all Muslims give a tithe to charity and most target the most impoverished and hard-up people rather than a religious cause. I was quite moved by that and took up the practice. In some ways I think of it as just an income tax that I can target towards things I believe in: homeless charities, cycling causes, computers and education for those without access to either.
I ran a charity:water campaign for my birthday last month and donated a third of my goal personally. I am amid a 6-week experiment of volunteering for 2 hours every week at a local shelter. Between money and time, I am able to see my impact more with my time.
However, economically the question does become raised of whether the opportunity cost of volunteering for a fairly basic job makes it more reasonable to work for an extra hour and donate that cash for the shelter to hire somebody on my behalf. It may sound heartless, but donation ROI is something worth considering. That being said, I can see the impact of my efforts while volunteering, which is rewarding and makes it a sustainable habit.
I'm also amid some estate planning. Upon death, I am planning on donation of both my assets and my body[1] to charity.
Personally I prefer to donate to small micro-funding campaigns or lean, local NGOs. In case of disaster relief I still might donate to Red Cross though.
One of the services which I recently started using and really enjoy the way it works is One Today[2] by Google.
All in all, it's always helpful to look at the numbers[3] to make sure that your donations are not used to rent fancy offices in downtown London or NYC.
[1]: http://www.dambisamoyo.com/books-and-publications/book/dead-...
[2]: http://www.google.com/onetoday/
[3]: http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary...
Edit: Formatting, grammar.
remember, it was not an "article", but an advertisement.
If that is the definition, then yes, I do give to charity. I often give to my local education foundation (yearly, in fact). I have donated to the Red Cross, and I have also given spare change to bums on the streets of NY.
I have no idea what is done with this money, nor do I care. I give because they seem to need it more than I do, and I hope they do something constructive with it, and helps them in some way. Does this mean I am 'charitable'? Or just a poor investor? (I suspect the latter, and I suspect that you would probably agree if you looked at my stock portfolio)
Additionally, money is actually sent to borrowers before their story is even posted to Kiva.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiva_(organization)#Pre-disburs...
The rule is very simple: Never through a proxy.
examples, good will, bill&melinda, are proxy. your money will just disappear and make fat bankers fatter.
wikipedia, software projects (go openBSD!), working in a soup kitchen.... no proxy. Give!
openbds, wikipedia = no proxy, hence YES
red cross, bill&mel, etc, = heavily proxied, hence NO
However, donating to "charities" is just not gonna do it. I'm not talking about details like "don't give 'em fish, give 'em a fishing rod".
Rather, considering that we, at a minimum the so-called "West", have been and are still collectively robbing other countries and regions blind, all that we individuals are able to give back is way less than that. Just have a look at Indonesia now and in the last couple of decades, or check what most African countries export vs. what they import to see it is still ongoing. Lately, at least most of South America is finally getting out of the morass. But not due to charities from the West, rather due to their standing up against Western capitalist interest.
So after understanding that we - as a society, and everyone living in it benefits from society - are not really philantrophic by giving a little back having taken a lot.
Our time and money needs to go where we think we can change this system. A big task, but just giving to some charity is not gonna cut it.
Thoughts?
Still give to charity.
I give to charities that seem to be cost efficient, like those in givewell.com
Cataract operations in Africa (which allows someone to see the world!) cost about $75, mostly done by western doctor volunteers. There are charities that organizes this, such as this one : http://katarakt.ihh.org.tr/en
Just this charity operated 24K+ people so far.
You can spend $75 to some random thing such as a fancy dining out or you can help someone to see.
Not charity as such but I loan money on Vittana. I believe they are actually making a difference and I think the little bit of money I have in their system can make more difference over time than a straight donation.
Also, any time a friend or a coworker is collecting money for a cause I pitch in. This has less to do with my belief in the particular charities, and more with my belief in my friends and coworkers.
I much rather invest the time, money, and resources, into avenues where I can measure the impact and determine what a successful ROI is.
The last thing I want or need is to get on one of the nagging "please give" lists. I give when I can, when I can afford it and to those I think deserve it. Like war veterans left without help by the government or public television.
My current favourite charity is freetheslaves.net