- Image by miamism via Flickr
You want to make a difference — this is a truth that resonates throughout the holiday season, leads you to donate countless dollars to a variety of charities (each supporting the causes you approve of, the families most deserving). Checks are written constantly, signed with a happy flourish. Every single one is a tribute to the needy. You find programs that appeal. You target the necessary services. All of your spare pennies are offered to the meaning of winter. You give all and expect nothing beyond your own satisfaction.
That satisfaction may be earned in the wrong ways, however.
While none could deny the importance of donating to charities, none could also deny that those same charities are limited by their funding. Organizations require far more than offerings of food, toys and clothes. They instead need money — with the requirements of utility bills, staff payments and more to consider. This is too often overlooked, however, by those wishing to make a grander impact. Instead of donating to institutions, they only give their dollars to the many services.
This is, of course, a process that should never end. The functions performed by charities must always be supported. But such support is typically given by the majority, and this leaves little cash offered then to the day to day operations.
It is important therefore that individuals consider making direct donations. Simply explained, these are offered to the organization rather than its services. Each check is broadly defined, without a list of expectations. This allows the charity to take the money and put it where it is most needed — like offering bonuses to their staff for all of the time they have given or meeting the demands of an electricity bill.
Direct donations lack the glory you’ve come to see each holiday. They aren’t the easy triumphs. They are, however, necessary; and all should offer as much as they can to cause of supporting a charity.
