Here are some tips for making philanthropy work in your family. Please feel free to contact us with your tips.
- Read about “Club 21″. This is a great idea for any parent, with any children, grandchildren, nephews, nieces, god-children, etc.
- Consider a “giving circle”. Arrange some friends, neighbours, or work colleagues into a social group. Pool your philanthropy towards one cause where your whole group can truly make a greater impact. Visit the charity, and get involved. See how your pooled gift has helped. Have some fun, arrange a group meeting (coffee, cocktail, barbecue) and make this a rewarding activity.
- Volunteer together. Grab a friend to join you. Volunteering should be a pleasurable, fun, social, and rewarding endeavor.
- Do you give money to a child? Perhaps you give an allowance or annual birthday present? Consider two parts: one part of the money goes for the child’s own personal use, and another amount goes into a special piggy bank (glass jar!) which is for the child to give to a charity (once it has accumulated).
- Empty your spare change from your pockets each day, or from your wallet or purse once a week, into a “charity jar”. This may save you from getting holes in your pockets or weighing down your purse!!
- If you work for an employer with automatic payroll payments, ask them if you can have automatic deductions made from your pay before you even get it, and have this shared with a specific charity. At the end of the year the tax receipt will help reduce your income tax.
- If you have any financial investments, such as stocks/equities, which have gone up in value, consider donating these instead of cash. There is a significant tax advantage to you to donate the shares. You get a full tax credit for the increased value of the stock while avoid paying any capital gain taxes. Ask your financial advisor, and contact the charitable cause to explore this further. It works quite easily, without much paperwork or hassle.
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Teaching Materials
We are sometimes asked about teaching materials to help teach philanthropy. Although we are not educators, we have come across this very good website which could likely be helpful for those looking to find such support materials (this is an American site, and only available in English): http://www.learningtogive.org/
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