Deciding to Give, How much, and Where

Like most things in life, deciding how much to give and where is not a straight forward answer.

Your Money Deciding How Much to Give? Check with a Higher Authority 
from New York Times

This was the best article I could find on the subject and I like how it talks about the difference between income and wealth.


The Life You Can Save
This website is also listed in the article above.  I like how it uses the tiered approach to deciding how much you should give.  It only addresses income, not wealth, and it is focused on world poverty, but still a thoughtful guideline overall


Five Points to Consider for Annual Giving 
from New York Times
Same author as the first article.  I like how this article suggests a trifecta approach to diving your money between local, national, and international causes and how it emphasizes the importance of doing your homework.


Guide Star and Charity Navigator
Just like test scores aren't the only variable in determining a good school, financials aren't the only way to determine a good non-profit.  However, it is a variable to do your homework on.  I like to see their income vs. expenses, assets, and even how much the executive director makes.

Look for Vetting Sources

Locally, you can be confident any organization receiving a grant from the Santa Barbara Foundation has been well vetted, although certainly not a complete list of worthy non-profits.
Nationally and internationally you can look at grant recipients from Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and sponsored projects of the Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors. Other vetted international organizations are listed on the Giving Charity As Gifts blog entry like
Tis Best and Global Giving.




Social Networks Giving to Social Causes, but at a Price
from New York Times
This article discusses the pros and cons of social network and giving websites such as Network For Good and Causes on Facebook.  They take a cut of the donation and are they a necessary middleman? However, they provide marketing the non profit would not be able to provide or would have to pay themselves and they connect people with common interests. 

Giving To Friends' Causes

I like to give to causes my friends are giving their time to.  Even if it's not a big donation nor my priority, I like to show support for the time and energy my friends are putting into making an impact in the community.

What is the Impact?

Is there a way to gage if the organization is making an impact? This is trickier to determine, but a good question to ask yourself.  Look for MEASURABLE  outcomes.

Tips on Giving
Finally, please see my prior blog post for more articles on Tips on Giving.



I'd like to get more input from local experts on this subject so look for updated posts in the future.  Additionally, I think deciding to volunteer your time somewhere is another question entirely so I'd also like to save that for another time.