Donating Money to Charity

We live in a very privileged world, yet there are millions of people all over the globe who are impoverished, starving and living in terrible conditions. While organizations such as Second Harvest Food Bank and Salvation Army work feverishly to assist the millions of hungry, homeless, or resource challenged people in the world, these operations rely on not only the donation of goods from companies and individuals, but on financial support from the government and other donors.

There are numerous benefits attached to the donation of money to reputable charity organizations. One major benefit is the knowledge that your donation will go to improving the life of another person. By donating money to the less fortunate, you are taking action against hunger, poverty, sickness and possible death.

Another benefit is that your contributions may be tax deductible. Meet with a tax professional or accountant before you donate anything to determine the proper route to take.

When choosing which charity/charities you are going to support, please consider the following:

• What is the charity's cause? Every charity has a certain cause, something they work to improve in the lives of others. Some charities deal with assisting former drug users in getting clean and getting their lives in order. Others provide food and shelter assistance for the homeless or severely poor.
• Does the charity have a suggested donation amount? Numerous charities have worked out precisely how much money it takes to assist one person, on average. This amount can be a good guideline for how much you can donate.

• If you would like to donate to more than one charity, do you want to put your dollars behind charities who work for the same goal, or spread out over various purposes?
• How is your donation going to be sent? You should research via your human resources department if applicable and find out if they have any form of matching system in place. A matching system is a form of donation where the Company chooses a charity and will add to your donation by a certain percentage. Also, you need to find out if your company will do an automatic deduction to the charity or charities you've chosen.
• How long and/or often do you want to donate? Based on the points above, you should plan out how long you will continue to contribute to the charity you choose. Will you send a small amount every paycheck? A big check every six months? This is another point to decide with your accountant or tax professional.

When it comes down to it, the choice to donate is your own. If you have the funds to be able to donate to any charity at all, then I applaud you. Please make wise money choices, even when helping others.