Generous Boomers Plan Seasonal Giving

As soon as the days grow shorter and the temperatures dip lower, the mailbox seems to get fuller… of support requests (and maybe calendars or other small gifts) from any and all charitable causes you may have supported over your lifetime.

The part of you that has sent a donation in the past might feel a bit of pressure to support again. After all, it costs the charity to send out those gifts you didn’t ask for. But since sending it back will cost the charity money as well, many generous donors find themselves grudgingly sending a donation. And that goes against the whole reason why they donated in the first place.

How do you overcome the guilt and grudge? Create a PLAN for your giving!

Figure out how much money you would like to spend on charitable donations during the holiday season – or throughout the year. It might help to look back over your charitable donation budget over the past several years – and if you don’t have one to look back over, then this is a great time to start!

Planning your Charitable Support

• Begin by allotting a specific amount that you want to donate. Make it a line item in your monthly budget, or your holiday season budget.
• Next, make a list of the organizations you have supported in the past, or those from which you have received requests for support this year.
• Prioritize those you feel most strongly about, and either discard the others, or place them in a “maybe” list (to support if you have “leftover” funds in your budget).
• Compare your priority list to your budget, and allocate funds for those that mean the most to you.
• Finally – and this is the most important part – do not write checks or donate cash* or items* if your charitable budget has been exhausted.

*You may want to include a budget to purchase items for Toys for Tots or for the “giving tree” at your place of worship. Make sure those donations are included in your charitable budget.

*You may also want to carry some of your charitable budget in cash, so you can support the Shriners or firemen at “traffic stop” collections, or to the Salvation Army bell-ringers, or others. Again, stick to your plan, and only donate within your budget.

There have always been more worthy organizations in need of support than one person or family has funds to give. By planning and sticking to a budget, you’ll enjoy your charitable giving activities and eliminate the “guilt-giving” mindset.

At Windsong, we also support organizations that are close to our hearts, including Habitat for Humanity, HomeAid Atlanta, and Must Ministries, to name a few, because we embody our mission of building and being a part of thriving communities.

Welcome to Windsong, Where Life’s A Breeze!