Making Your Charitable Gifts More Intentional than Impromptu

Charitable giving is a personal choice we make throughout the year and throughout our lifetimes. It feels good to be generous with the resources God has entrusted to our care. But without a plan for our giving, we can look back and realize we've donated more to causes our friends care about than we do.

That's because we haven't set priorities, but instead have reacted to requests. You may recognize these three ways to give:

• Impromptu Giving – These are the small donations you make on the spur of the moment. For instance, when you send $10 via text message in response to an international tragedy or put a few bucks in the red kettle at Christmas. When your co-worker sells candy on behalf of her kid's school. When your nephew solicits his social network to donate for his walk against [insert cause here].
• Incidental Giving – These are the regular donations you make, perhaps without giving it much thought. Payroll deduction at work for the local United Way or year-end donations to boost your tax deduction, if you itemize. Perhaps you finally respond to repeated direct mail requests from a group you supported in the past.
• Intentional Giving – These are planned donations to organizations you care about most. It is your tithe at church and gifts to your college or local non-profits where you also volunteer. They can get overshadowed by impromptu and incidental giving if you don't have a plan.

Take Action Tips for Today

• Think about the amount you want to give in a year and earmark a small percentage for random cookie sales and Facebook campaigns. If you donate $1,000 over the course of a year, for example, consider capping your impromptu gifts at $100 or $150. As a guide, Americans give an average of 2% of their after-tax income to charity, according to Giving USA's 2011 report.
• Identify your values and then align your giving to match what matters most to you. This values exercise (PDF) might help.
• Find an organization you care about and volunteer. Non-profit budgets are shrinking even as demand for their services grows, so offer your skills in accounting or web design or marketing. There are many sites like VolunteerMatch where you can find opportunities.
• Need help narrowing the field? Support organizations that have touched your life. For example, if you have lost a parent after extended hospice care, perhaps you can donate time or money to the hospice organization.
• Do some research on the groups you're considering. Visit CharityNavigator, a national independent evaluator of charities that gauges an organization's accountability and transparency.

Other Resources

• You can attend free workshops that can help you put shape to your charitable intentions. We offer "Charitable Giving," "Keeping the Farm in the Family," and "Making a Difference." Review workshops descriptions or find an event in your area.
• If you're looking for ways to save money here or be smarter there, go to free daily tips. There's a new tip every day of the month especially for your age bracket.

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