It's the first day after the holiday weekend. There are turkey sandwiches on the middle shelf in your fridge. (Or leftover vegan stuffing with cranberries. Depends on the fridge.) You're just getting back to school/home/the office. Many of you, even as of this morning's coffee, still have one foot in a Thanksgiving Day carbohydrate-coma.
With that in mind, we're starting the week off gently: with a question.
Thanksgiving Day kicks the "giving season" into high gear as the winter holidays plow toward January 1. It's a shift that raises many questions in the charity world, all involving the word "give." What charities will you give to? How much will you give? Can you even give this year?
Add our question to the list, with a spin: What keeps you from giving?
What are the circumstances that have kept you from giving to charity in the past? What obstacles could keep you from giving this year? What kind of charities do you give your money/time to and which ones do you avoid? Why?
We're asking genuinely and need candid answers. You can post in the comments section of this blog or Tweet at us at @Modestneeds.com throughout the holiday season. We'll be featuring some answers on the Modest Needs Blog and on the Modest Needs Foundation Facebook page--responders looking to remain anonymous can send an email to [email protected]; all personal informaton will be withheld.
Your answers will not only be appreciated, but also help shape our relationship with donors and applicants in the future, so please--be honest. We ask that you share this post or question with anyone who might weigh in.
We hope your Thanksgivings were as delicious and stress-free as any holiday can be.
Cheers and welcome back.
What keeps me from giving? I don't think I have enough to give- which is just not true and $1 feels like nothing. Also- not true.
I'm a huge fan of City meals on wheels. I give to them anually. I'm also big on any charity or group that can show that the money is going to the cause and not the charity. Those are the groups I like and that I find the money for.
This blog is definitely reminding me how lucky I am and how much I do have to give. Thank you for the humbling reminder of how much I can do for people other than myself.
Posted by: Meredith | November 28, 2011 at 12:08 PM
i support organizations that help people help themselves- heifer internationsal, habitat for humanity, and am definately tilted toward our own (USA). Modest needs qualifies on both counts. I tend NOT to give when those close to me need help- that comes first..it's easy to give when the amounts are small- i know i'm not going to miss it
Posted by: susan kaye | November 29, 2011 at 10:41 PM
Well, i should note that i occasionally give. but what prevents me is that i am, myself, broke. when i had a full time job, i was much more giving. the impulse is the same as is was then. the money was just situational, and now i don't have it. in fact, i'm swimming in debt. like the rest of the country.
i try to volunteer when i can to make up for the lack of financial giving.
another thing that prevents me from giving, if it's a cause, i worry that it will be held against me by news organizations i want to work for because it will ruin the facade of objectivity.
Posted by: H.M. | November 30, 2011 at 01:55 AM
What keeps me from giving is people who say they value innovation and then don’t mention any innovative programs, mention something that might be innovative but don’t go into detail, or think that merely existing as an entity separate from everyone else is the same as innovation.
About 20% of the nonprofits I look at mention something about creativity and innovation without offering any proof. It makes me think they're lying, lying to themselves, or too oblivious to know what innovation actually is.
That sounds snarky, (even more so coming from someone who teaches logic and innovation) but people are pretty good at spotting when someone is lying to themselves about how great they are.
Posted by: Emily Rose St. Claire | December 01, 2011 at 10:32 PM