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Do you Donate to Charity?

D

DeletedUser394

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Just curious, and if so, how do you determine how much to give/how often?

I like the idea of 'tithing', but donating 10% to actual charities/schools instead of a church, etc. (Nothing wrong with donating to your church if that's your thing though)

To me, 10% is high enough that I can give meaningful donations and it's also low enough that it won't inhibit me from growing my net worth/income.

Mostly interested in helping out my old schools, the children's hospital where I spent a lot of time getting helped w/asthma, etc. Basically I want to start helping all the people/institutions that have helped me.

One day I'd like to leave everything behind to these places (when I kick the bucket 100 years from now), but I see no reason not to start now.

Cheers.
 
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Tossek

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Can you believe it? I used the search bar to find whether someone posted something already on charity giving. And here I found one thread without answer.

The question is still up: Do you give away to charity?

I come up with this question because I listened to a few Jim Rohn podcasts and he tells sth like give away 10% of your profits to charity.

Though I am not at 10% yet, I sponsor a scholarship for a pupil to visit a private school in a village in Peru. It was a programm that my own grammar school initiated because they were near to close down the entire last primary school of this district within 20 km radius. So, we saved the entire school, expanded it even and pay regularly for a constant stream of scholarships with one warm meal a day. I find it very satisfactory that a little lady at the other end of the world has now a chance to florish. Scripted, but at least a chance ...

Also, I give to church. (Well, it is called tax here ... but anyways, I consider it as charity ...)

How about you? Which charities do you support?
 

Kak

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Yes! I probably give 15% currently and it will likely not get any higher percentage wise... Why? Because I am a better money manager than most charities. Both me and my charities of choice will get more in the end if I keep reinvesting and growing my personal wealth.

I am very careful with the charities I support, I make sure that their impact is high relative to their monetary intake. They are all currently Christian charities, but I have been toying with the idea of supporting Americans For Prosperity and starting a family foundation in addition.

Sometimes, charities are where value and societal advancement go to die. Make sure you don’t throw money away. Make it count. I look at this like an investment in a betterment of the world. I like to pick good investments.

There is also tremendous networking value to charitable giving.

I don’t consider taxes in the least bit charitable and I don’t call it “giving back” because I never took anything to begin with; my businesses give the world value.
 
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Champion

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Hey,

I think this depends on the country you live in and the taxes you are already paying.

I live in Germany for example, and we have quite a social system. If I would give another 10-15% to charity, it would be a lot for me (atleast in my opinion).

Right now im trying to give around 2-5% of my monthly income.
 
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Red

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I don't personally support structured charities as I've found there's a lot of waste in most of the current ways things are set up. I also don't designate a specific amount or percentage, I just do it when I see a situation arise that needs attention.

I donate to those in my circle (or just outside of that) when I see they may need help. I try to do it anonymously, but that can't always happen. This group includes single moms who find themselves in tough spots, strangers who need a set of tires (or a motorcycle helmet) or anything that I see that I can impact that will help someone out. Sometimes it's a person online that has a story that resonates with somewhere I've been in my past when I've struggled.

There are a ton of ways to help impact someone's situation for the better, you just have to keep your eyes open. It also helps that my love language is gifts so I'm a bit extra tuned in to that kind of thing, I guess. It's something I really enjoy & it has helped others out over the years, I see it as win/win.
 

Tiago

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3% of revenue. And I like donating via Kiva.

It’s a peer to peer lending platform, without interest for the lender.

All payments I receive back get reinvested into another venture,

I like it because I can target education, for example families in Kenya needing school supplies for children. Education is the most important factor I attribute my success to.

And also since it’s lending, people are committed to paying it back. I think that creates a different dynamic than receiving charity money, a more mature one.
 

minivanman

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Just like a tip, I never go by percentage. I give what ever I feel like on that day. Although there are 2 places that I am partial to, I also give some money to individuals. But the feeling must really be right. Last year I saw a guy limping around Kroger with a few things in his basket so I walked up and gave him the $40 I had on me..... then I had to go back home for more money because that was all the money I had and I don't have any cards. I don't like for it to feel like an obligation that I MUST give x%.
 
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Kevin88660

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Give like big tips. I do not like recurring payments.
 

TheCj

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I found the process of finding Charities that spoke to me a good exercise for myself when I first started giving. Since I was turned off by a lot of the main stream charities that didn't appeal to me.
Also researching and learning about how much money some charities sit on, As well as how they are able to avoid spending government stated percentages towards causes helped me choose what i wanted too support.

Charities I support and encourage anyone looking for charities to look at! (Mainly Canadian)

WarAmps - provide assistance for children and Military amputees
Endangered Species Fund - For endangered animals donate through a local zoo
Camp Trillium - Is a place for families with kids that have cancer to enjoy and enjoy a camping type experience
Children's Wish Foundation - Grant wishes to children with life threatening illness
Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides - Provide dog guides for people with a variety of needs (vision, seizure, autistic, hearing, diabetic)
Terry Fox Foundation - Cancer Research, if haven't heard of Terry Fox highly recommend looking up his story

Also agree with the just helping and giving when see or come across a situation that speaks to you. Don't remember where I heard the line of "Good things happen through me" came from. Is a line that has stuck with me over time.

I set aside 5% after tax for charities with random acts of kindness through out the year on top of that. The latter not really being that significant in dollar value, since really doesn't take much to just make a difference in someones day.

I was just looking back the other day at the first $20 donation I first made over a decade ago and how different my mindset was. I'd encourage anyone who "will donate when they make it" or "don't have enough to give right now". To just give a small amount $10-$20 and see if you don't find it amazingly rewarding, and empowering.

Always seems to be a touchy subject talking about giving/donating, when for myself would love to tell everyone about the benefits of giving/donating!
 

MHP368

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Ive got a bunch of stuff for small amounts on auto deduct and then one in particular that i'll give a shout out too , I try to do at least 100 every xmas but more if I get a bonus. The "blue ribbon project" (victims of child abuse) , Ive done some pediatric psych in my time and...well people are monsters really.

Also my wifes big into elephants (they have a reserve in tennessee for old retired or rescued corcus elephants , I usually donate to them anytime of year she's do a gift)


Funny enough , the first book I ever read about "master mind" groups , it had a new age bent and it had "first fruits" or tithing as an entire chapter.


Ill tell you one thing , i've never given money and not felt better then I would have spending it on myself , that is , the act of giving in my experience is always more joyful then the small dopamine rush you get from an equivalent expenditure on some piece of chinese garbage off of amazon.
 
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Xeon

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No.

Whenever I see folks standing on the streets holding out a can asking for donations to ABC or XYZ charity, I would rather spend 15 mins walking the long way just to avoid them than to donate $0.10.

I always ask myself, "What's the ROI on donations"? Because that $5 note that you donated can be used on FB ads for cheap likes or engagement. You're still getting something back for that $5 worth.

Maybe if I'm rich af, yeah, that would be a different story, I can probably throw stacks of 1K notes into their can. Well, until then.....
 

sparechange

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Ted Garrard, chief executive of Sick Kids Foundation, whose annual salary is $400,000 plus up to $100,000 as a bonus, agreed that more disclosure was needed. "Donors, like shareholders, should have the opportunity to know," he said Tuesday.


Compensation among charities has been a hot topic since last fall when Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children revealed it paid its former president $2.7-million in 2008.


I'm all for giving back to the community, but donating money is just a hardcore action fake giving you a ''I feel good about myself'' moment. At least in Canada, cant speak for other places. If you want to contribute volunteer your time the most precious thing in your life, money is just a piece of paper that can be discarded and forgotten about like a fart in the wind.
 

MakeItHappen

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Yes I do.
However, for me it is important that my donations have the biggest positive impact possible. There are a lot of inefficient charities out there. Something that got me interested in charity was the concept of effective altruism: Effective altruism - Wikipedia

Also, like KAK said if you are a very good entrepreneur/investor it might be a good idea to keep growing your wealth to have more to give away when you die.

Social entrepreneurship is also a interestig concept to me. Basically you build businesses around social problems that don't have to rely on donations.
 
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Tossek

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Whenever I see folks standing on the streets holding out a can asking for donations to ABC or XYZ charity, I would rather spend 15 mins walking the long way just to avoid them than to donate $0.10.

Another thing that I am very curious about is begging people. I have had bad experiences with that.

You know, I walk sometimes to my job quite early in the morning and pass a certain parking area. I see there regualarly the same begger with his dog dropped off in an high priced audi car with the "begging utilities" in the boot. This makes me angry af.

I have seen some documentary about begging clans, systematically setting up people at the high traffic spots. Some clans are looking for disfigured persons to boost the pittiness. It is a sad story.
 

Xeon

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Another thing that I am very curious about is begging people. I have had bad experiences with that.

You know, I walk sometimes to my job quite early in the morning and pass a certain parking area. I see there regualarly the same begger with his dog dropped off in an high priced audi car with the "begging utilities" in the boot. This makes me angry af.

I have seen some documentary about begging clans, systematically setting up people at the high traffic spots. Some clans are looking for disfigured persons to boost the pittiness. It is a sad story.

Yup, there were some articles online about such beggars. Many of them are earning the same as a low to mid tier white collar executive per month.
 
D

Deleted74396

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No. I don't have much money so I just try to help my friend where I can, he just got a new apartment after being homeless for a while (different country so I couldn't let him stay at mine o_O ) and I'm hoping in 2020 I can do better and help him more. I feel bad he doesn't have a bed and can't afford furniture and because I'm having a bad year I'm not able to help. Any other year and I could've got him some stuff :(
 
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Kak

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Yup, there were some articles online about such beggars. Many of them are earning the same as a low to mid tier white collar executive per month.

Yes. I generally don't give them money. My likelihood of giving them money goes up as their level of nuisance goes down.

Economically, I don't like to pay someone to be a nuisance which is essentially what they are doing. I do buy them food sometimes.

I mostly stick to charitable organizations that I know a lot about. Careful about bitching about a CEO's pay. Big charitable organizations need smart people to run them too or they become even worse with money.

Would you trust a "$50k CEO" of a nonprofit with $50m per year worth of donations? I wouldn't. A manager at McDonalds probably makes $50k. Though a nonprofit employee will always believe in the cause, they likely aren't going to say no to 500k from a private company if they are worth it and making 50k at their nonprofit. Likewise there is a market rate for labor in nonprofits just like for profits.

Often these "expensive" CEOs are the ones that are reaching for economies of scale and making your money go further. But once again, you should get to know what there is to know about your chosen charitable organizations.
 
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CaptainAmerica

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I realized just now that I do far more than I had thought:

- Kiva (for a very specific purpose)
- Heifer International (to thumb my nose at my very uptight family)
- Smile.amazon.com for
- Rogue Valley Search and Rescue, where I volunteer, a lot
- a STEM scholarship at my alma mater
- next: 1% of profits of my next venture to an environmental charity
- and leaving all my money to DogTown when I die

I use CharityNavigator to help me decide. But you know, it sounds like a lot - but it's not a lot of money, it's just spread out. Why though?

Reasons (and this gets personal):

- Kiva is for dowries. It's a stupid custom, and it keeps some women out of marriage and future happiness and economic advantages.
- Heifer International is two-fold: one, to show up my incredibly snobby family, who look down on people with less; two, to give a small but increasing gift to give people more economic advantages
- smile.amazon/RVSAR: people get lost in the woods, and sometimes we find them in time, and sometimes we do a recovery. Either way, it's important. We are all volunteers, because the cost for SAR missions is astronomical.
- the STEM scholarship is in the name of my stepmother, who sold me her micro lab supply business. SHE got started with a scholarship from her Thai host family.
- environmental charity: because my purpose in life is to save the estuaries
- DogTown: and the dogs, apparently.
 

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