Giving to charity is something that has to be well planned and considered. Here some tips that might prove useful. Budgeting your giving is always smart, this way you can determine how much you want to give at which time and can even leave a bit of margin for sudden emergencies. Choosing ahead of time which charity you want to support is equally important as it gives you enough time to check out what happens to your donations and if the charity in question is trustworthy or not. Without budgeting you might be tempted to give your hard earned money spontaneously to the next cause without checking out first if they are legitimate or not.
If you have decided on one or more charities, do a bit research and see how they use actually the donations they receive. What is the percentage that are spend on wages and admin costs and what percentage benefits directly the people and projects they claim to support? Don’t be afraid to ask impertinent questions, a reputable charity will be always happy to answer them.
After you have decided on a worthy cause and the amount you can afford to give away, divide the money by months and give regularly. Or you could even set up a standing order for each charity you wish to support. Most organizations prefer it anyway this way as it gives them a better base to calculate their own budget. Don’t worry if you can’t donate much, a lot of small donations add up to a tidy sum and even a little is better than nothing.
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