This is truly the most wonderful time of the year when every
trip to the Post Office not only bring Christmas or Seasons greeting – although
not as many now that we have electronic greetings available – but also the myriad
of myriad appeals from charities with their ‘gifts’ of calendars and seasonal (definitely
not Christmas) cards to encourage us to give generously to their very worthwhile
work.
I must confess that
this often puts a damper on my Christmas spirit and I always wonder what I can
do with one more calendar and can I justify to myself to use those cards if I
don’t send at least a small contribution to that organization. However, this is more than balanced by the
appeals from Charities that I have supported in the past and I am grateful for the
reminder to send them a contribution for the good work that they undertake. I received one of those appeals last week from
L’Arche Daybreak, the branch of L’Arche in Richmond Hill. I had the opportunity to experience the
wonderful work they do as a community for those with and without intellectual
disabilities when I spent a few days with them one reading week when I was
studying theology at Huron University College.
As they state in their mission statement, they strive to, “Make known
the gifts of people with intellectual disabilities, revealed through mutually
transforming relationships.” I filled out the donation form and got it
ready to mail.
As I did that I reflected on my donation to that group and
wondered why I gave the amount I did.
There didn’t seem to be any relation to what I give to other
organizations. Why did I give that
amount to what was, in my mind, an organization that did wonderful work that
enable people, who had been given many challenges, meaningful and rewarding lives? On reflection, I realized that there was not a
great deal of rationale to many of my charitable donations. In terms of my overall charitable givings, I
am guided by the concept of tithing which has been the standard for Christians
for a long time. This is based on the bible
passage in Genesis 14:20 in which Abram (later Abraham) gave King Melchizedek
of Salem, who was priest of the “God Most High” a tenth of everything – hence
tithing which is a tenth. All well and
good in terms of the goal for the amount I give, but what about to whom and how
much for each organization. It did not
take me long to decide or realize that I had no clear idea on what basis I gave
to certain groups or how much I gave to each.
There is, of course, some basis for which groups I choose to
support. I tend to support groups or organizations
I have first-hand knowledge of such as L’Arche and have assessed that their
work has a positive impact on those they serve.
I am also aware that I do not do a very good job of investigating some
groups in terms of the extent that they are good steward of the money they
receive. I am also aware that the amount
that I give to an organization or choosing that organization is sometimes based
on how a feel in a particular day when the request is received―not
a great way on which to base my support.
I was inspired to raise this question, as I mentioned, by the question why
I didn’t give additional support to L’Arche when I give more to organizations
that seem to be not as deserving?
I am aware that there is help available in determining if an
organization is a good steward to the money they receive; Charity Intelligence Canada
provides an assessment of charities which can assist in evaluating if your
money is being used well, https://www.charityintelligence.ca/. However, I must confess that I have never used
this source. As an experiment,t I
decided to check put one of the organizations I support, World Vision. It turns out to have a five-star rating based
on financial transparency, results reported, demonstrated impact and need for
funding.
All well and good but it doesn’t help on the issue of how
much I donate. That will require more consideration. If I was a more analytical person, I could develop
a method of helping me do this on a more rational basis. However, I am not likely to do that, so in
the meantime perhaps I will settle on giving that more consideration when I
decide on how much I give to which groups.
Have a blessed journey to Christmas this Advent and remember
that you have many more gifts than financial ones.
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