In today's materialistic society, charity is often seen as low priority.
However the reality is that the community we live in has a huge influence on us personally – it fosters safety, responsibility and sustainability – so it is important that we take our community seriously for the greater good of humanity and for our own personal benefit.
Most importantly though, you'll gain an appreciation for what REALLY matters – and it's not fame or fortune!
After-all, there are many high-profiled people who are great believers in charity and the planet. Bill Gates donates millions of dollars to charities, Bob Geldoff and U2's Bono are great crusaders against world poverty, and many other celebrities offer money and their time to a variety of causes.
Yes, these people have the money to give and their image has done pretty well out of their endeavours – but at the heart of their generosity is the genuine desire to make a difference. And they do.
But, you don't need lots of money or fame to contribute to the community – we all can.
It is my honest belief that we should all help those less fortunate than ourselves – and trust me, if you have the resources to be able to read this article on-line, then there are lots of people out there who are less fortunate!
Whether this help is financial through appropriate donations or through donating your time as a volunteerdoesn't really matter, but we should all feel some social responsibility to do something.
Everyone can do something. YOU can do something. If you don't have the time, DONATE. If you can't afford to donate money, VOLUNTEER and offer your time or services.
Making Donations
As a general guide, aim to donate 10% of your income to charity. You may have heard the phrase, "Charity starts at home" – so make sure your budget can afford it!
Some things to keep in mind when choosing a charity:
- Pick a cause that you believe in the most – all charities are worthwhile, but which ones are YOU passionate about?
- Look around your, there are thousands of poor people desrve to be helped out, there are so many families which are not having food, money for education, warm clothes, fan for cooling, shelter to stay, basic comodities. Go help them, help them on weekly, monthly basis.
- Payment terms – do they have a 'subscription' donation system where you're set up to make regular donations? Do they have a minimum donation acceptable? Do they accept all payment options? Do they provide a written receipt (they should!)? An of course, is this all acceptable to your finances.
- Can you claim donations for this particular charity as a Tax Deduction? What are the particular tax laws in your country?
- What does the charity do with the money – are you concerned that too much of the money is spent on administration fees and staff costs?
- Of the charities you've investigated, which one gives the biggest 'Bang for your buck'?
And of course, encourage your children to give some of their money to charity too – little kids love putting money in donation boxes, and you may be surprised how well older children understand the concept of giving to charity.
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M Junaid Tahir
http://paradigmwisdom.blogspot.com/
http://ae.linkedin.com/in/mjunaidtahir
https://groups.google.com/group/ParadigmWisdom
