Sears Wish Book or charity gift card?
Recently I chatted with a friend about generosity. He was firm in his opinion. He wasn't about to give his hard earned cash to undeserving charities. His solution was simple and 100 per cent effective: "Charities don't get any money from me!"
My friend wasn't opposed to charities and what they do. But he was skeptical after seeing too many front-page stories about unworthy organizations. He didn't know how to tell a good charity from a bad one, so he took the easy way out and gave to none. Whatever his reasons, his mind was made up.
My friend has a lot of company. In 2009, only 23.1 per cent of Canadian tax-filers claimed donation credits. This was a drop from 24.1 per cent in 2008, continuing a long-term trend. It was the largest year-to-year drop since 1997. The average donation in 2009 was $250.
Compare these numbers with the indebtedness of Canadians. Average household debt surpassed $100,000 at the end of 2010. For the 55 per cent of households with mortgages, that figure was $171,500!
Clearly giving to charities is not the major cause of debt! But is there a link? I think so.
Based on many years of helping people with their money, I've concluded that on average, generous people have fewer debt problems. That giving more equals less debt may not make sense at first, but in fact looking out for others leads to less selfish attitudes and less self-indulgent spending.
Kill two birds with one stone this Christmas! Beat the "me focused" spending monster and inspire generosity among those you love. Start a new family tradition focused on charitable giving.
Here are some tips from CanadaHelps to get you started this Christmas season:
1) Talk to your children or younger relatives about the causes that matter to you and why you choose to support them. Discuss the great things charities do in various sectors of society. Talk about your church and why supporting it is important.
2) Buy everyone in your family a CanadaHelps Charity Gift Card (www.canadahelps.org/GiftCards). You select the card and the amount, and your family members select the charity that matters most to them. It's a great way to introduce young people to making donations!
3) Visit or volunteer at a charity you've supported in the past to see first-hand the important work they do with your donations. Be sure to set up a time to visit in advance.
4) Make this the time of year to set your annual giving budget. Decide the total and how you would like to split that among the causes you support.
5) Ask everyone to research a charity they would like to support. Then before the Christmas meal, ask each one at the table to say a few words about the charity they chose and its affect on society.
If you follow these tips, you could very well inspire your children to become the next generation of Canadian donors. That your children will likely become less selfish as a result is a bonus. In Proverbs 22:6 a wise father endorsed this approach: "Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it."
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