Giving Something Back
Donating to a charity is an act that has the potential to change the lives of people across the world. Unfortunately, we still live in a time when not everyone has access to the basic necessities of life.
Even in 2023, there are countless issues that plague a vast number of people, many of whom live in more developed countries than you may think. [Read more…]
Giving to charity is an admirable act and one that should be taught even to small children. Some kids exposed to charitable giving at an early age find it worthwhile to donate part of the monetary gifts they receive when they reach the age of 16 or 18. Some adults, however, start out in this endeavor at a later age.
There’s no age limit to the act of giving to charities and regardless of when you start donating, what matters is you are sincere in what you do. It’s a different kind of personal fulfillment if one is able to share his or her blessings, particularly hard-earned money.
But the question is, “Do you need to ask for an official receipt every time you donate money to a non-profit charitable organization?”
Ideally, a charity should issue receipts to donors. It is a legal obligation of a non-profit group to do so. Also, people who have donated money will need official receipts in order to make a claim on their annual income tax returns. [Read more…]
I have always believed that it is not really considered charity if you do not do good out of your own volition. If you are forced into doing something OR if you do good works because you feel that you have to do it, then that is defeating the purpose of charity. However, I am also a pragmatist and realize that if people do good even if they were only urged to do it, then that is better than nothing.
And I think this is what is happening (in some cases) with a UK organization called Do Good For Debt. The idea behind this group is brilliant, really. What they do is provide the opportunity for those with students loans (which are usually immense) to pay back their debt and at the same time, do good work. Inventor Spot has this feature on them:
The non-profit UK based organization was started by Ian Wallace, who found himself so constricted under the weight of his 14,000 GBP student loans that he took a job in a factory while looking for a job in his chosen field; law. With his life decisions completely surrounding making his debt payments and keeping a roof over his head, this innovative entrepreneur decided there had to be a way to look after his best interests, and give back to his community at the same time.
Do Good for Debt was created, with a main goal of working with charities to encourage recent college graduates to give back, while taking a little something for themselves in the process; complete student debt repayment. Perhaps monetary compensation for charity work, defeats the purpose and takes away from the philanthropist mentality, but hey, recent grads have a better chance at making a contribution to society if they don’t have the burden of student loans hanging over their heads.
As I said, this is better than nothing. More so, I am sure that many of the people who participate in the program would willingly help out in other circumstances anyway. Call it providing an opportunity. By the way, Do Good For Debt has a MySpace account – add them!
This kind of news makes me mad; steaming mad. There are so many people who are less fortunate than the average person. And there are few enough people who are willing to help them out. Then these unscrupulous people or groups of people try to take advantage of those who have giving hearts. I think that there’s a special place in hell for people like them
Anyhow, the reason for the mini rant is this piece of news I read at The Miami Herald. Apparently, there are those who engage in fraudulent activities, trying to collect money in behalf of military veterans, police, and firefighters. According to the report:
The Florida attorney general on Wednesday joined a national effort to fight fraud committed by groups claiming to collect money on behalf of protection agencies and veterans, but they give misleading information about how much of the money would actually be given to those groups.
”Operation False Charity” includes 76 actions against 32 fundraising companies, 31 individuals and 22 nonprofits — or groups claiming to be nonprofits. The effort is led by the Federal Trade Commission, and attorneys general, secretaries of state and other law enforcers in 48 states and the District of Columbia.
You know what’s worse? Some of these groups are actually REAL charities. The problem is that the money that they collect do not ALL go to the causes that they are supposed to champion. While that is not wrong or uncommon in itself, people are misled and majority of the money goes to administration costs, which includes wages of those who work in the organizations.
For more information, get in touch with the FTC.
With the hard times upon us, no one is spared from the hardships of earning a living and surviving in this world. With that said, you have to wonder if religious organizations and charities need the aid of security protection as well as with their open “door policy”, practically anyone can come in.
The churches have had the benefit of being watched over and it would not be surprising if charities would follow suit. It would not be surprising if evil eyes would monitor charity organizations and their activities since we all know that money comes to them from the free will and voluntary acts of citizens aiming for a good cause. Has humanity lost its mind in targeting the religious and goodwill organizations as well? It really should not be surprising.
For one, there are people who are becoming desperate these days. They need money to survive and feed their families. Bad or good, the only important thing for them right now is providing. If they can get away with it, then it would be good for them. But in case they don’t, well at least they tried. They would live a better life in prison with full meals would they not?
The mentality seems to be deranged. But the fact is that unless something subtle comes up, people are always at the edge of their seats. They continue to hope and pray but apparently most of them are unanswered. So with that in mind, the only thing left right now is to protect the organizations operating for a good cause. Now that is something we never thought would be seen before.
One thing about giving this coming Christmas, a lot of usually generous patrons are bound to save more. The economy is something to fear from recent months and the layoffs and the faltering business tycoons are factors that can strike fear in what the future holds for most of us. So in the end, victims include charities who may have to make do with whoever can spare some of their wealth for this year’s holiday season.
It is not the first time that we have encountered this problem. In fact, we have seen this happen centuries before. While many have been gallant as far as helping out charities, money is certainly the least to be expected as far as help is concerned. Alternative help comes in the form of clothing, food or even company. These are factors that are equally helpful and people just have to stick to the fact that the occurrences that has hit the whole world is something beyond their hands.
As far as charitable efforts in trying to raise funds, it can still help. But don’t expect it to impact in the forecasted revenue it can generate. People are buying less and regardless if it is of superior or heartfelt quality, people are certainly going to pick up things that they really need and pass on what they don’t really have use for.
Charities may brace for the worst. But the good thing is they can expect this to improve as the economic storm can only prove better tomorrows for people of today.
In some parts of the world, charitable organizations are the ones who take control of some gambling operations. The idea is for these organizations to raise additional income through gambling activities. More so, people who take part in the gambling activities are also given the chance to give to charity.
In Michigan, for example, the scale of operations of charity-sponsored gambling is quite large. Take a look at these figures (courtesy of The Associated Press):
The Michigan Lottery reports it issued 681 Millionaire Party licenses for casino style gambling games in the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2004. That grew to 4,043 in fiscal 2008.
The casino-style games earned Michigan charities $3.6 million in fiscal 2004 and $10.5 million in fiscal 2008.
Overall, all forms of charitable gambling in Michigan took in $479.9 million in fiscal 2008, and $75.1 million in profits went to charities.
Not bad, huh? Not everyone is happy with the way things are going though. Authorities are looking at stricter controls. They think that “real” casinos are suffering from such activities by the charities. On the other hand, we have people who have problems with the activities based on moral grounds. They feel that charities should raise money in other ways. This is a bit tricky as not everyone sees gambling in the same light. Some people would say that it shouldn’t matter if the money comes from gambling as long as the profits go to a good cause.
What is your take on this?
The sight of a disabled child or person who pushes himself to earn a living despite having deficiencies in some parts of their bodies or from their manner of thinking is something that should inspire the normal man. Putting aside their current situation and status to give them a reason to live is the most important factor that touches the hearts of people who see them.
There are a lot of foundations that have taken this cue and even gone to the extent of helping them earn their keep and efforts through referrals and sponsorships. Working for a cause is the best term to generalize everything that these disabled people invest. Rarely would you see people putting time for such people who make the best out of what they can.
People who have some deficiencies cannot live normally but in most cases, it is the disabled people who seem to show more promise because they know that in their hearts that there is so much to accomplish if they are given a chance to be side by side with the normal and fortunate people of today.
[tags]disabled, charities, foundations[/tags]
How was your weekend? Just like many other people around the world, you probably enjoyed your break from your work week; but I am sure that you also heard about what happened in Chile. They got hit by an 8.8 earthquake – more than a degree stronger than the quake that shattered the country of Haiti.
It hasn’t been more than a day or so since this happened, and the damages are only now being seen in Chile. The death toll has reached hundreds, and the numbers are expected to rise. Tsunamis have been triggered by the quake, with the waves reaching as far as Japan and Russia. Fortunately for those countries, they didn’t really get affected.
It’s another story in Chile, though. The people of this country need our help now. In the United States, you can help through SMS:
• SMS text “CHILE” to 25383 to donate $10 to Habitat for Humanity
• SMS text “CHILE” to 20222 to donate $10 to World Vision
• SMS text “REBUILD” to 50555 to donate $10 to Operation USA
• SMS text “YOUTH” to 20222 to donate $10 to UNICEF
You can also donate through Google Checkout here. They are receiving donations for UNICEF and Direct Relief International.
There are also numerous other ways by which you can donate – those are perhaps the most convenient. However, I challenge you to step out of your comfort zones and find more ways to help. Mashable has an extensive list here. Visit your local Red Cross and other organizations that may be holding their own operations. This is not the time to sit back and relax. You never know, next time, it might be you needing this kind of help.
They were the best of friends in the long running TV show Friends, and they are really close friends in real life as well. I am sure you know the people I am talking about – Jennifer Aniston and Courtney Cox. These girls have taken their friendship to great lengths, and now, they are getting together to extend a helping hand to some women who need it the most.
The friends are currently busy with a project which is aimed at empowering women in Congo. More than giving their verbal and public support, Aniston and Cox are actually spending time to help the cause out. One activity they engaged in was to take part in a dinner which helped raised awareness for their charity. They were joined by Sheryl Crow. The friends are now working on catching the attention of Senator Hilary Clinton.
The organization is called OmiPeace, which is actually a humanitarian fashion brand, and is run by Mary Fanaro, another friend (not a TV “Friend,” as I am sure you know). Courtney Cox is really passionate about what they’re doing. It was quite touching to read what she said: “OmniPeace was created to give back. I can’t think of a better way to support my best friend and all the work that she and OmniPeace do to donate to causes supporting peace, education, human rights and the end of extreme poverty by 2025. Mary’s passion is so contagious and wonderful. It has taught me that anything is possible with enough perseverance and tenacity.”
To find out more about OmniPeace and how you can help, visit www.omnipeace.com/.