Certain factors have an impact on giving, this does not mean that you should put off your charitable efforts. You might be surprised to learn that, ultimately, it could be you who reaps some of the best rewards of your donation. Here are just nine results of giving to charity.
Experience More Pleasure
In research conducted by the National Institutes of Health, subjects who chose to donate a portion of $100 were given enjoyed activated pleasure centers in the brain. Although this experiment was controlled and scientific, it showed that donating money simply makes you feel good, which is something we can all benefit from.
Help Others in Need
We do not live in a perfect world, and there is never really going to be a perfect time to give — but there are always people who need help. Whether it's interest rates rising, the economy in the doldrums, or even if you are experiencing financial difficulties of your own, the reality is that when you donate money, you help others who need it.
Get a Tax Deduction
If you donate to an IRS-approved charity like Giving Center, you can write off donations on your tax return. Some restrictions do apply, though. To learn more about them, along with if a particular charity has IRS approval, check the IRS website for a lift of certified charity organizations. Donating cash is a great method to reduce the amount of money you send off to Uncle Sam, and it's for a good cause, to boot.
Bring More Meaning to Your Life
When you donate money or other assets to charity, you create opportunities to meet other people who believe in the same causes that inspire you. That can infuse your everyday life with more meaning. If you have been stuck in a rut, whether it's personally or professionally, sometimes the simple act of donating can do the trick and reinvigorate your life.
Promote Generosity in Your Children
When your children see you donating, they are much more likely to adopt a giving mindset as they grow.
Motivate Your Friends and Family
When you let friends and family know about your charitable donations, they may find themselves motivated to undertake their own efforts to give back. It takes a village to address issues such as poverty, scientific advancement, and early childhood education. Stoking the passions in the folks around you is a very positive and tangible effect of your own giving.
Realize that Every Little Bit Helps
You do not need $10,000 to make a difference in someone’s life. In developing countries, even just a few U.S. dollars could result in a whole week’s worth of meals for starving children, much-needed medical attention, and even improved schooling. Don’t think of your cash donation from an American economic perspective.
Improve Personal Money Management
If you set a regularly scheduled $100 donation each month for a particular charity, it can motivate you to be more attentive to your own finances in an effort to ensure you don’t fall behind in your monthly donations. Anything that can get you to pay closer attention to your bank account is a good thing — especially when it helps those in need.
Give, If You Can’t Volunteer
This might not necessarily be a positive effect of charitable giving, however, if you are simply too busy to volunteer or otherwise donate your time, giving money or assets is the perfect workaround. Don’t think that you can’t improve someone’s life or even the world if your personal or professional schedule won’t allow the time.
Things To Be Wary Of
Never give to anyone who is directly asking for money on the street. The last thing you want is to find out is half, or more, of your charitable donation to be siphoned by a professional solicitor or scammer. Think twice about putting money in the plastic box next to the cash register, even if it has a heart-string tugging picture on it (unless it’s a tip jar). Be very suspicious of any charity that uses heavy ads to solicit money: that just means they have a big marketing budget.
Trust your money to the charities you find, not to the ones who find you. Give to the cause you willfully decide to back — not to the one in who is constantly in your face doing the big ask. If your charitable donation includes a gala night or tickets to some grand event, it’s not charity, it’s consumption.
Don’t confuse the worthiness of a charity with the worthiness of the cause it supposedly backs. Most of us would like to see wonderful things like peace on earth. That doesn’t necessarily suggest that a charity with peace on earth as its goal would have any clue as to how to use any money given to them.
If you are unsure where to donate, check out the With Causes Charitable Network. Understanding the positive effects of donating to charity is important.
