How do you decide how much to donate?

[RosieTR]

I've always struggled with how much to donate, both as a regular contribution and for special situations. Often I have no idea and sort of flounder and do nothing, then feel guilty. How do you decide how much to donate? Do you do a regular monthly thing, a year-end thing, a "suggested" amount (like some churches require tithing a certain amount)? What about unexpected things, like Katrina, the Tsunamis, etc? A few times for people whom I knew would appreciate it, I've "bought" stuff from Heifer, because it was a certain "thing" and really felt good about that. But just giving $50 or $100 or $200 seems like it will be useful, but go into a dark hole. I wish more charities would do stuff like "feed a dog for a week for $40" (or whatever) but many of those that help kids are kind of iffy in other ways that I don't like, or they score very poorly on Charity Navigator. Anyway, I'm interested to hear others' thoughts on this.

[razz]

First, the charity situation has to be really important to me and very careful with the use of my donations. If the CEO or ED is very highly paid with not very unique role, I am very cautious. I try to set an amount that I will donate each year depending on my circumstances for the year. Usually it is towards (not in order of priority) theatre, church, family/community needs.
Also, I think about my donated time and effort as substantial each year as the work that volunteers perform is sometimes as much as paid employment in a community. I am sure that there are stats for this comparison.
So my question is - are you counting just the cash donations?

[cdttmm]

I establish a set amount as part of my annual budget for charitable contributions. This covers the organizations that are of extreme importance to me and that are consistently in-line with my values. Beyond that, I generally decline to donate and if asked why I will actually tell people that I've already determined by charitable contributions for the year, but that I am happy to consider their organization as part of my annual contributions budget for the following year. If I find that the organization is in-line with my values and is delivering quality services I will consider adjusting my budget accordingly. I try to have enough of a buffer in my budget that I can give the occasional $25 or $50 when disasters occur or something unusual comes up.

[loosechickens]

We fix our budget at the beginning of each year, as we estimate income that will come in, returns on investments, etc., and once we have determined an amount that can be spent that year (usually we figure 4% of invested assets, plus our Social Security checks as the maximum allowable spending), we take 10% of that amount right off the top, move it from the budget to a page that has the heading "Spirit", and set aside that money for charitable giving.

We are not church people, so I guess we "tithe", but just tithe to "spirit" instead of to a church. But we like that idea, from the Bible, of giving a tenth part of your income to do good, so follow that. Kind of a "what goes around comes around", and from a feeling of gratitude that our life is comfortable and we want to show the Universe that we recognize that.

the GOOD thing about our system is that once that amount has been set aside, we no longer feel it belongs to us, so it is painless to write the checks, and we don't feel as though something is being taken away from us when we do. That is what the money is there for, we have relinquished "ownership" of it. So, how much to give, when to give, etc., becomes simply a matter of how to divide up the money during the year to worthy causes.

I honestly think that setting aside money FIRST for charitable giving, just as setting aside money FIRST for savings, works better. Because when we do that, most of us find that we can make it on what is left, where if we waited to see what was left over, either for charity or for savings, probably none would go for either.

[SteveinMN]

I establish a set amount as part of my annual budget for charitable contributions. This covers the organizations that are of extreme importance to me and that are consistently in-line with my values. Beyond that, I generally decline to donate and if asked why I will actually tell people that I've already determined by charitable contributions for the year, but that I am happy to consider their organization as part of my annual contributions budget for the following year.

That's pretty much what I do, as well. My preference is to support "deeper" rather than "broader", so I support fewer charities but I support them at a higher level. And, except for the occasional "MS Walk" or such, that's it for the year.

I, too, try not to donate to organizations in which the management is "too well" paid; organizations which rate poorly in the amount of donation that goes to overhead; and, frankly, organizations which hound me for months via physical mail or email to continue donating to their important cause after I've given them some token amount (they have to be spending more than I gave them in trying to get me to give more). I notice that I've also become far more "local" in my giving.

[ashleenshannon]

That's depending one you, first we need to know about that charity than we can decide how much we can donate to that charity. No one can force you, you have to donate some fixed amount.

[bae]

I donate all my time, and all my income above expenses.

[sweetana3]

We donate locally where we can clearly identify the need and the use of our time and treasure.

There are important needs locally but sometimes they are hidden. Right now, husband volunteers for a group called SAWS that is thru a local church. They are a big group of guys who build ramps to help people who don't have access to other resources. It is an amazing need and they have helped provide people the means to escape the traps their homes have become. There is no big fundraising drama or paid officers. The church provides garage space. The funds we give have direct impact and are used for supplies to build ramps.

We also support Habitat for Humanity. He volunteers for them and when a specific need is seen, I have no issues with providing the funds. Again a great group of guys.

We donate to our well run local spay neuter clinic that has expanded carefully into clinics, transport and worked with other groups to increase their impact. It is this collaboration that we promote since it reduces administrative costs and expands the reach.

I will not give to a group just "because they ask". Especially those with slick advertising and never to any with TV or telephone solicitation.

[iris lily]

I like giving round numbers. I just gave $100 to my local NPR station, I tend to do that 2X annually.

For bulldog rescue I usually donate $1,000 a year, and then of course we donate the costs of housing our foster dogs, and usually we cover their vet bills. I donated $5,000 to our Park Conservancy in 2011, and ran a fundraiser that netted $4,500 for them the next year.

I sometimes donate to cultural institutions, above membership. I usually give $250 to $500 to the public library and give to others as well.

I just heard something very disturbing about the animal rescue group that was founded in my neighborhood by a friend of mine. He's now pulling in $2 million a year and there have been rumors about the money. Well, after what I heard yesterday, if it's true, I won't be making any donations to them any more. Egad, I remember when he was keeping dogs from the street in his basement. Money corrupts.

[flowerseverywhere]

Money corrupts.

one of the truest statements I have ever seen here.

I used to donate to Doctors without borders, an organization I think does great good. They kept sending me so much literature, when I asked them to stop they continued and I called again and asked them to stop, when it kept coming I stopped donating and wrote to them. About a year later the literature stopped. A shame really.

Now I donate a lot of time and funds to organizations that benefit members of the community as a whole. The library, for one. It gives a lot of people and children and adults access to things and education they cannot afford.
I also love Habitat, although my local chapter is very faith based and actually volunteering is turning me off.
My local soup kitchen gets my money and time as well. many of the mentally ill are on the street and would go hungry without it as they often cannot conform to the rules shelters have. Also more families have shown up the past few years, it must be extremely difficult to put your pride on the back burner if you want to work but can't find good paying employment. I don't like the religious part of it but you can't have everything.

Last year all added up it was about 20% of our gross income, plus time. I feel so lucky to be living in this time and place that it seems a small price to contribute to society.