18 responses to “Give monthly & save”

1. 

   Annie February 4th, 2009 at 16:02

   I try to. It’s not to say that it happens regularly, but I have a Jar set up with “charity” on it and need to start filling it again monthly. I also put time in at the Humane Society, so I hope it balances out a little in that respect, but I do know that money is always a going-concern and a welcome gift to “Your Choice” charity.

2. 

   sharon rose February 5th, 2009 at 04:13

   Hi there-I give to 3 charities a fixed amount every month. I don’t want to cancel these, as I believe its only right and fair they have these donations.

3. 

   Bente February 5th, 2009 at 10:34

   I give small amounts to 3 or 4 charities monthly. It is automatically checked off my account so I don’t even notice it going out. Sometimes I feel a bit guilty about the small amounts, but then I realize how much I give on an annual basis and I feel quite proud, especially since I am a student!

   Maybe another good tip:
   Many charities publish newsletters or magazines that they print out (often in full colour) and mail to everyone who contributes regularly. However, these publications and mailings are pretty expensive. So reduce costs for these charities and send them an email to ask them to stop these mailings and request the e-newsletter…

4. 

   Saver Queen February 5th, 2009 at 10:46

   All you ladies are so charitable! So true, Bente, that even when you give such small amounts, over time it really adds up to something. I think it’s so generous to support 3 or 4 charities while being a student. So nice to hear.

   Interesting point about the newsletters. E-newsletters are a great thing to request. Most charities do publish annual reports where they publish a list of names of their major contributors. The general consensus in the nonprofit field is that this is necessary in order to steward some of the major donors who want to see their contributions recognized. But as more and more people are concerned with waste (both monetary waste as well as environmental waste) I wonder if the over-printing of such materials doesn’t do more harm than good. My favourite charity doesn’t give me any attention at all, and we give quite a lot to them (well, it’s a lot to us, anyway) - no acknowledgement at all. I was a bit surprised when I never heard from them, but then I remind myself that it’s a really great thing that every cent is going to those people I want it to support, not to congratulate me.

5. 

   Bente February 5th, 2009 at 11:41

   Exactly. I donate to WWF for example, but only a couple of euros a month. Every month, I received a full-colour magazine, very nice of course but I felt like I was only paying for that magazine. Now that I’ve let them know I don’t need the magazine I feel like I am actually contributing to a charity instead of enjoying a magazine subscribtion.

6. 

   Saver Queen February 5th, 2009 at 11:48

   Wow - every month a full colour magazine? I’m shocked. That just makes no sense at all! But good for you for letting them know your preference instead of just cancelling your donations. Are people in Holland as concerned about financial mismanagement and misspending as they are here in Canada? At my previous job I ran a series of focus groups with donors and clients and they couldn’t complain enough about all the paper wasted through direct mail and these kinds of updates.

7. 

   Gabriel February 5th, 2009 at 14:36

   Hi!

   I’m “Samantha,” the girl who wrote in to The Simple Dollar. I was blown away to see all the advice that started pouring in!

   I just wanted to thank everyone personally. I think that the current environment is one of cynicism and distrust - it’s really nice when something like this shows that there are lots of wonderful, thoughtful people in the world. Thanks so much for taking the time to write!

   You’re right about forgiveness. It’s so important. Like anyone else, I’ve made a royal ass of myself a few times, and it absolutely tore me up inside to think that I disappointed or hurt people. Even when they forgive you, it’s hard to forgive yourself. But learning how to do that is just about the best thing you can do for your mind and soul.

   By the way, I just want to mention that I’ve recently started a blog of my own - http://www.alternativelivings.blogspot.com. It’s all about ways to earn money outside of a traditional 9-5 job (as a college student, I’m very interested in this subject ) Please feel free to drop by, I’d love to keep in touch!

8. 

   Gabriel February 5th, 2009 at 14:38

   I’m not sure which grosses me out more - coffee grounds on my body, or coffee mixed with olive oil XP

9. 

   Beef Up Your Piggy February 5th, 2009 at 15:21

   Great post. I think many people fail to give only because they have a hard time narrowing charities down to one they feel passionate about. We give regularly to American Cancer Society and our church. If I have extra money mid-year, I focus on St. Jude. There are so many different types of charities, it is best to find one that you really feel strongly for. Good Luck Giving everyone….Every little bit helps.

10. 

    Bente February 6th, 2009 at 05:28

    Probably yes…. There is a Dutch quality mark for charities and one of its criteria is efficient spending. But probably you have a similar thing in Canada?

    Actually right now I’m an intern at the World Health Organization-HQ in Geneva and yesterday I attended a lunch meeting for all WHO staff, chaired by the WHO DG Margaret Chan, about how health, health care and the WHO might be affected by the financial crisis. I thought it was so cool, because Chan talked a lot about how the only way to convince donors to continue contributing to WHO programs is by showing they are efficiently run and stop wasting money on designing guidelines, organizing meetings and publishing colourful handbooks, leaflets and brochures. I thought it was truly inspiring because she was very blunt and directly addressed her directors on their spending….

11. 

    Saver Queen February 6th, 2009 at 11:18

    You live such a fascinating life! I believe that donors are becoming much more invested in how charities spend their money. The hierarchy is flattening, traditional work environments and fundraising techniques are changing, and young people (starting with the boomers) want to see a return on their investment. My view is that we are seeing the end to passive giving (just giving because it’s the right thing to do) and seeing a new wave of targeted giving and venture philanthropy. In this age of mistrust and competition, you have to prove yourself and find ways of responding to donor’s demands, even if their requests are not convenient for you. At least this is how I see the nonprofit sector changing in Canada. Charities have to move forward if they don’t want to be left behind. I think a lot are going to be left behind. Failure to surf the new wave could mean the end in this economic downturn.

    There is no such quality marker and it’s a big problem. You’ll have to tell me more about that.
    Right now our government is in the process of writing guidelines that will help standardize the industry and this should help, although a lot of people in the np sector are worried that the guidelines will not be fair - it’s hard to shove a vast and diverse sector under the same set of standards, when each have different outcome measures, costs, etc…

12. 

    Bente February 6th, 2009 at 11:55

    http://www.cbf.nl/Downloads/Bestanden/Algemeen/benefits%20of%20accreditation%20artikel%20Rene%20Bekkers.pdf

    It’s the only English document I could find on the Dutch quality mark.

    But there’s been criticism on this marker and an iniatiative to reform it to a marker with stricter rules has been set up so it’s likely to change soon.

    BTW
    I guess sometimes the proof the public asks from charities is not benificial for the charity or the cause it’s working for. However, in the case of WHO, efficiency is a big problem. It’s a very bureaucratic organization. It does a lot of good work but should become more efficient in spending their budget in the countries that it is meant for. At least, that’s what I think.

    But hey, they’re not wasting their money on me, interns are unpaid!

13. 

    Saver Queen February 6th, 2009 at 12:00

    WoW! This is so interesting! Can’t wait to read it in more detail, thanks Bente! I wish I had this when I was writing my MA on nonprofit impression management. It’s so fascinating to hear your perspective on the WHO.

14. 

    Bente February 6th, 2009 at 12:09

    I’m sorry I keep on adding… But I just wanted to tell you abou the charity called Foster Parents Plan (I think they are in Canada as well? I think it is part of the Plan International organization), which had to change their name to Plan Nederland (Plan the Netherlands) because their was such a public uproar when the news came out that one of its interim managers received over 18000 euros a month… They were also accused of mismanagement: some of the Foster Children had supposedly died, were missing or moved way without notifying the donors of that child and it was said that they spent over half their total income on organisational costs. There’s some info on it in English on wiki http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plan_International

15. 

    Bente February 6th, 2009 at 12:13

    Haha I just reread my post and it looks as if I mean that the foster children should have notified the donors that they were going to die or move away… Clearly not what I meant…. Foster Parents Plan should have done so….
    :s

16. 

    Saver Queen February 6th, 2009 at 12:17

    LOL
    I knew what you meant, haha. Tha’t really disgraceful. They changed their name here to Plan Canada. I do know one woman who was planning on leaving a sizable gift in her will to them and was re-thinking it because she was unhappy with some things that were going on in the organization, including how she was being treated. Normally I am skeptical of newspapers that print stuff intending to deface charities but this sounds really unprofessional. Since I am an advocate for charitable giving stuff like this really bothers me.

17. 

    Cam February 6th, 2009 at 12:25

    Can you correct the link for Gale’s post on saving tax year round? It seems to be broken and I’d like to check it out. Tx

18. 

    Saver Queen February 6th, 2009 at 12:29

    I’m so sorry about that Cam. It’s fixed now!