Make Your Random Acts of Charity Less Random

Recently, I opened my home mailbox to find no less than five, large packets stuffed with Christmas cards from non-profits, along with accompanying solicitation letters asking for donations.  I had never given to these charities before; obviously they bought my name from some mailing list.

Cleaning oceans engulfed in plastic. Adopting stray cats and dogs who need a forever home.  Providing holiday gifts for abused and abandoned single mothers and their tots.  Buying hockey sticks and equipment for youth wanting to play sports who can’t afford the equipment. Making magic by providing funds for a local theatre company. Funding museums teaching us our past and pointing us toward our future. Partnering with universities and colleges that are educating our young people to creatively solve today’s challenges and find tomorrow’s emerging opportunities. 

Which of these causes are worthy of my donation?  One? Two? Or, all of them? As director of fundraising at the University of Victoria, I know firsthand the agonizing decision people go through when asked for a donation.  People want to be generous, especially at this time of year. But they are bombarded and overwhelmed by need. With more than 85,000 registered charities and non-profits in Canada, how can a person donate to be strategic and make an impact? 

Clearly donors are hard-pressed to decide where to give. While some find it hard to say yes, others find it just as difficult to say no.  There was a case in England a few years back where one 92-year-old woman had 3,000 charities asking her for money, and already depressed, she took her own life as she was not able to help them all.  More rationally, and more often than not, requests sent through the mail are either answered or put in a pile, some, sadly, never to be answered. Or the email a charity sends is deleted.  Or the many Text messages are omitted.

November 15 is National Philanthropy Day in North America. This is a good thing; a wonderful thing. The Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) is an international association that has been celebrating National Philanthropy Day since 1986, and in 2012, the Canadian government signed into law a proclamation celebrating November 15 as National Philanthropy Day annually. Our local AFP is holding a celebration and awards ceremony on November 13 to mark the occasion, honouring local citizens, companies and organizations who make our community a better place through their generosity.  All those being honoured have one thing in common: they have made an impact.  They have achieved this through either their time, talent or “treasure,” i.e. a cash gift.   

As Winston Churchill once aptly said, “We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.”

Those being honoured on National Philanthropy Day have acted with forethought and with passion.  They have made a conscience effort to determine where, out of all the causes needing attention in our world today, they could make the greatest impact and be personally involved.  And that is where they have concentrated their efforts.

Right now, 20 percent of all registered tax payers in Canada make a donation.  I’m betting it’s much higher than that if you add in the contribution of people’s time and talents. Why do those of us who give, donate?  There are many reasons, but among them there is conclusive research conducted showing that giving makes us far happier than receiving.

In 2018, the Victoria Foundation and the University of Victoria jointly released a study showing that the total economic activity of registered charitable organizations in B.C.’s capital region is a little more than $4 billion, including funding distributed to clients or other donors. This level of spending supports some 122,000 jobs, which support almost $584 million in municipal taxes. There are clearly a lot of impassioned people – both professional fundraisers and generous, giving donors alike-- who are working to make our world a better place through philanthropy. Philanthropy is a love for humankind. That’s another good reason to donate our money, time and talent. Indeed, without all of us, the world would be in a lot worse shape than it is now.

To mark this National Philanthropy Day, instead of donating randomly to charity, consider making a conscience investment in causes and organizations that are near and dear to your heart whether it’s your child’s or your own alma mater, and/or an organization seeking to cure a disease that concerns you, and/or giving to make our community stronger. This holiday season, and all year long, when asked for a donation, remember besides investing your money, you can volunteer to help a cause for which you are passionate, and/or you can assist by being personally involved through lending your business acumen or talents.  Plan strategically to make it count, because it does.