How much do you donate each year?

[KevinG]

How much, on average, does everyone donate per year. And what do you usually donate to?

[David Hausladen]

I'm just out of college, so most of my donations have been material. My dear mother got worried the first time I realized how much useless stuff I had, and donated about 50 pounds of stuff to Goodwill--clothes I didn't wear, books I'd never read again, extraneous camping gear, etc.. I've done that about ten times since then, to where now I really feel like I'm keeping only the stuff really important to me, and consequently keeping my life very simple and focused. If I decide to stay vegan at the end of its 30-day trial, I'll get rid of my leather stuff.

[KevinG]

Same here. I am not currently in the position to donate money, but I hope to be soon. If I had it I would give it. I do give material things though.

[falcon]

I'm a final year student at university so unfortunately can't donate as much as I'd like to.

I do, however, have a monthly direct debit to charity of £15 a month and, whenever I come into some extra, unexpected or manifested money, I try to tithe 10%, usually into http://www.kiva.org (fantastic microfinancing organisation - if you haven't heard of them, go take a look!).

I'll be graduating next summer and already have a grad job lined up, so hopefully can start to give back a little more then.

[Zach]

10% of all my offline income, 20% of all income I generate online goes to a non profit organization.

[kthdsn]

I can't afford to donate anything at the moment.

I'm not sure if I would donate if I could afford to though, I worry about what the money is really used for. I don't want to fund annoying television adverts that make people feel guilty.

I would rather give my money directly to someone who needs it, that way I would know that they actually received it.

[annie]

10% to my church...tithing.
3% to the poor.
All my old and useless stuff...like 8 track tapes and clothes from the 80's/90's

[ebradlee10]

With public radio memberships, our favorite charities and the supplies & computer programs we buy for my wife's classroom, I'd say 10%.

[Tobias Zimpel]

Originally Posted by KevinG

Same here. I am not currently in the position to donate money, but I hope to be soon. If I had it I would give it. I do give material things though.

Add me here. I donate everything I don't need anymore (at least if it's not fallen to dust...) for charity. That's books, clothes, and many other stuff.

[Yynatago]

I'm aiming for 10% of all my income, donated annually. Last year it was at least 5%.

[Love]

I think that this is a really interesting question, Kevin. It's not so much putting a number to the amount that one "should" donate, but the realization of why one donates and how much and to whom and why.
I donate about $10 to my college a year (this is my second year out) and I'd say about $5 dollars to the hairdresser each time I go, and about $10 dollars over the course of year to panhandlers on the train and people in the street. I also do clothing and game donations to thrift stores, but I personally don't consider that donating because I don't really feel all that generous about giving stuff away, when it's stuff that I don't even want anymore.

I'm working on building wealth, but I'm working as a intern in a nature center and have got loans and debt, etc. I don't really have any savings. But that's not really an excuse if I really want to donate. I think I could do more if I made it more of a priority. I think the reason I don't is because a) I'm too wrapped up in my own life and b) no one cause draws me particularly.
Interesting question. Something I can think about as I draw my budget.
Thanks, Kevin.

[daisylover26]

Add me to the 'donates material goods' list. I gave three bags of stuff last week, in fact. We very much live by the one in-one out rule, so I have a perpetual Goodwill bag I do give a little money each year (probably around $100-200), but it's usually in the form of sponsorship for a fundraising walk/run/bikeride, etc. or as a donation in someone's memory or honor. Like for funerals, I no longer send flowers, but make a donation to a charity in the deceased's memory. If I know of a charity they loved, I use that one and if not, then I usually choose a charity that supports research for the illness they had.

[Natsu]

I don't have a stable job and at this point, only have 12 euros in my account... I donate time: I religiously click every day on Hungersite, breastcancersite, childhealthsite, rainforestsite, and childliteracy site. It's what I can do at this time. Some day, I hope I can do more.

[Zach]

Natsu, it doesn't matter how much you give, it's the spirit in which you give it. Don't feel bad.

[Stephen]

Originally Posted by KevinG

How much, on average, does everyone donate per year. And what do you usually donate to?

Hi Kev

I donate about USD $30 per month to UNICEF as a global parent.

I know its not much but I think that if everyone on an income in western society were to donate $30 per month, the world would be a much better place today!

[Cron]

I donate about 2- $300 a year on a monthly recurring donation. I donate to animal rights groups. I was also thinking of starting to donate to the "10 dollar a month club".

It would be cool to deduct it from my taxes, but every accountant I have ever had told me that only works is you are rich and donate a TON of cash.

[M13]

For some time I was giving to organizations that made donating convenient. They would send nice letters and always provide a tax receipt. After some time I realized most of that money was going to the business that was sending the letters, not the firefighters, nor the police officers. Lesson Learned.
Now I give with more effort and thought. I made a list of issues that where important to me then I began to seek out organizations that were helping in those areas.
Something like this:

1. My Church
2. Nobel Prize Winners
3. Food, Shelter, Clothes, Medicine
4. Cultural Understanding and Tolerance.
5. Nature
6. Music, Art, Science, and Sport.
7. Donation Opportunities of Chance.

I’ve been doing this for a couple of years now. It works for me.

[SenorKaffee]

I´m currently not donating. There is something much closer where I can make a difference.

I´m saving 50€ each month so a friend of mine can get a drivers license somewhen. I recently asked other friends to take part in this project, so I hope we will have enough money at her next birthday.

That may sound small, but because of her circumstances she could never afford that on her own and it will mean very much to her.

[WanderinOak]

I donate material goods to charity- an old car that doesn't run, clothes, used but still 'usable' building materials, etc. I also give stuff away on freecycle from time to time. Once my income is larger than my output, I will probably donate to a Yoga center that I attend from time to time.

[ImOpen]

zero

If I ever get rich enough I will start a network for people left alone and those who suffer from mental illness.

[Natsu]

Originally Posted by Zach

Natsu, it doesn't matter how much you give, it's the spirit in which you give it. Don't feel bad.

Thanks, Zach. Though there were times when I had some spare money and just bought lame stuff instead of donating. But I'd rather give little and monthly, than huge sums every now and then. I think it's the steadyness that works. I've always wanted to "apadrinar" (means to "become godmother") of a third world child. I've read those programmes work very well, and that you really make a difference in the life of the child.

Originally Posted by Stephen

I donate about USD $30 per month to UNICEF as a global parent.

I know its not much but I think that if everyone on an income in western society were to donate $30 per month, the world would be a much better place today!

You can be assured of that. Recently, a group of "apadrinados", that is, boys and girls who had been "godfathered" by Spanish people, came to Spain to talk about the influence of their Godparents in their lives. They all had been able to go to school (big stuff), and they had finished superior education. That way, all of them were ready and eager to go back to Ecuador to teach other children from rural areas. Godparenting means that you teach a child how to fish: I think it's one of the best charity investments that exist.

Originally Posted by M13

For some time I was giving to organizations that made donating convenient. They would send nice letters and always provide a tax receipt. After some time I realized most of that money was going to the business that was sending the letters, not the firefighters, nor the police officers. Lesson Learned.

What you do is very important, as worrying about where you put your money is just as good as putting the money. Throwing your money away won't help. Some people give blindly thinking that the money will magically allocate itself where it is most needed. Some others never give because they don't trust the charities involved, and think someone may rob the money. Both are skipping their homework and doing the work they should do to find out which charities are trustworthy. And, if no charity was ever trustworthy, there would always be someone in need nearby:

Originally Posted by SenorKaffee

I´m currently not donating. There is something much closer where I can make a difference.

I´m saving 50€ each month so a friend of mine can get a drivers license somewhen. I recently asked other friends to take part in this project, so I hope we will have enough money at her next birthday.

That may sound small, but because of her circumstances she could never afford that on her own and it will mean very much to her.

That is great, and is a form of donating. You will not save the world if you can't help your neighbours. I have a friend in the USA who doesn't have a medical insurance and can't get a job. If I had money at all, I think spending it in a good insurance for her would be a good charity, too. Worrying about your neighbour is also good. And, I bet your friend will be able to find a job much more easily with her license.

I see people donate very differently, but in a very useful way. I'm getting very good ideas. Hope some day I'll be able to use them

[Alvin]

10% of what I make, and I've just pledged 20% of whatever I make from my blog. If you haven't read The Singer Solution to World Poverty, that was what pushed me to finally start giving.

If you don't feel like reading it (it's a good read, essential even), here's the gist of it in a thought game:

Bob is close to retirement. He has invested most of his savings in a very rare and valuable old car, a Bugatti, which he has not been able to insure. The Bugatti is his pride and joy. In addition to the pleasure he gets from driving and caring for his car, Bob knows that its rising market value means that he will always be able to sell it and live comfortably after retirement. One day when Bob is out for a drive, he parks the Bugatti near the end of a railway siding and goes for a walk up the track. As he does so, he sees that a runaway train, with no one aboard, is running down the railway track. Looking farther down the track, he sees the small figure of a child very likely to be killed by the runaway train. He can't stop the train and the child is too far away to warn of the danger, but he can throw a switch that will divert the train down the siding where his Bugatti is parked. Then nobody will be killed -- but the train will destroy his Bugatti. Thinking of his joy in owning the car and the financial security it represents, Bob decides not to throw the switch. The child is killed. For many years to come, Bob enjoys owning his Bugatti and the financial security it represents.

Bob's conduct, most of us will immediately respond, was gravely wrong. Unger agrees. But then he reminds us that we, too, have opportunities to save the lives of children. We can give to organizations like Unicef or Oxfam America. How much would we have to give one of these organizations to have a high probability of saving the life of a child threatened by easily preventable diseases? (I do not believe that children are more worth saving than adults, but since no one can argue that children have brought their poverty on themselves, focusing on them simplifies the issues.) Unger called up some experts and used the information they provided to offer some plausible estimates that include the cost of raising money, administrative expenses and the cost of delivering aid where it is most needed. By his calculation, $200 in donations would help a sickly 2-year-old transform into a healthy 6-year-old — offering safe passage through childhood's most dangerous years. To show how practical philosophical argument can be, Unger even tells his readers that they can easily donate funds by using their credit card and calling one of these toll-free numbers: (800) 367-5437 for Unicef; (800) 693-2687 for Oxfam America.

[Zulu]

Now that I have a salary I have seriously considered giving to charity (to get out of this scarcity mindset and get in the spirit of generosity)

Right now I'm still struggling with what charity to give for. Does anyone know of donations to corporations that create jobs in poor countries (vs 'only' providing food and water)?

About Peter Singer: Having read most of his work a few years ago, I'd have to agree his logic is infallible. Upon reflection though, what he says profoundly goes against human nature. It shouldn't matter whether I save my friend or a kid in Africa... but it DOES matter. We evolved to care about those around us... not those hundreds of miles away.

His Utilitarian ethic, the way I see it, has the potential to create vast individual unhappiness. The truly utilitarian thing to do would be to spend 24h a day thinking about how to maximize your income (whether or not you like your job) so that you can give 90% of it to charity while subsisting on the rest.

[Alvin]

Interesting thoughts, Zulu!

I don't know if we can take his thoughts to that extreme, but the central idea that moved me was that if we could do something to help someone worse off in the world, then ethically we cannot not do that thing.

Of course, if I were to donate too much of what I make, I'd fast becoming unable to do anything. But I take heart in the knowledge that a Starbucks to me could mean a lot more to someone else, so I choose to give that away.

You can check out Charity Navigator - America's Largest Charity Evaluator and Welcome to Give.org, they both review charities.

[belugagirl]

The subject of donating money often makes me anxious in the same way being asked for money by a panhandler does. It's not at all that I don't want to part with the money. I'd be glad to part with a portion of my money if it was actually doing what the solicitor purported it would be doing. But I'm jaded about that. I fear that so much of donated money goes to overhead and/or skimming, that I just don't know who to trust much of the time.

Lately the only "causes" I trust are local ones that I have seen in action: the local humane society, the symphony orchestra, a storefront theater we like to go to, a neighbor kid's cub scout troop. I feel bad turning down organizations who call for donations to help kids with cancer and all that, but I just don't trust that the money is going where they say.

We don't have a LOT of money to spare, and I consider some of our purchases giving money to causes. I shop at a local food coop, and I consider money spent on organic foods, natural cleaners, recycled goods one way of "donating" in a sense. If I can help ethical businesses with environmentally and socially sound practices by buying their products, I'm helping them compete with all of the corporate polluters out there that environmental organizations need donations to help clean up after/ pressure politicians to hold accountable. Maybe that's my way of participating. Or maybe that's my justification to my conscience. Not sure.

[Lotus]

I give $ and time to a local no-kill animal sanctuary. I also foster kittehs!

[Alvin]

Originally Posted by belugagirl

Lately the only "causes" I trust are local ones that I have seen in action: the local humane society, the symphony orchestra, a storefront theater we like to go to, a neighbor kid's cub scout troop. I feel bad turning down organizations who call for donations to help kids with cancer and all that, but I just don't trust that the money is going where they say.

We don't have a LOT of money to spare, and I consider some of our purchases giving money to causes. I shop at a local food coop, and I consider money spent on organic foods, natural cleaners, recycled goods one way of "donating" in a sense. If I can help ethical businesses with environmentally and socially sound practices by buying their products, I'm helping them compete with all of the corporate polluters out there that environmental organizations need donations to help clean up after/ pressure politicians to hold accountable. Maybe that's my way of participating. Or maybe that's my justification to my conscience. Not sure.

Good points, belugagirl. Someone once told me that instead of donating money, the best way I could help would be to donate my abilities; investing time with a charity and doing something for them.

While I agreed that would be the best course, we all give what we can. Me by donating to a cause, and you supporting ethical companies

[Alarin]

My husband and I sponsor two little girls through World Vision, $78 a month so $936 AUD a year (roughly $718 USD).

We've been doing this for a few years and the weird thing is, no matter how tight money gets sometimes, there's always enough to keep paying that $78 a month and we've never had to go without to do it. It almost feels like the universe is continually replenishing our income so we can keep giving.

[9gods]

I donate £10 a month to Oxfam and would like to donate to Amma for humanitarian activities soon.
I am amining to donate 10% of my income in future. I read about "10% solution" idea in Marc Allen's books, I love it.

[Andrew Brunelle]

I give my time, hours, days, weeks, years to a valid cause: making the world a better place. I don't need to donate to a charity or a cause to make my charity validated. I help people who need it and that's that. Don't get so obsessed with dollar amounts. Giving time is ten to one hundred times more valuable than money. Money is easy. Send a check. Actually volunteering is very challenging. So that's my take on donating.