How to Give Big Without Writing a Big Cheque

If there was ever a time of year to get serious about managing your finances, the holidays is it! Here are some fun ways to give meaningful gifts without maxing out your credit card. The trick is to focus on creating memories rather than loading up your loved ones with more stuff they don't really need.

* Quality time: Print out a "Quality Time" certificate redeemable towards a specified number of hours doing something fun with a loved one on a weekly or monthly basis.

* Acts of service gift certificate: Print a certificate that promises window washing, tax preparation, garden weeding, etc.

* Bake up a storm: Make big batches of favourite cookies and treats, then wrap up a generous sampling for each person on your list.

* Decorate the family tree: Do some research into your family's genealogy, draw up a family tree and frame it.

* Comfort food: Collect your mom's favourite recipes and print them in a book form as a way of preserving all those heart warming flavours.

* A gift to remember: Write down or make an audio recording of all the favourite memories you've shared with that person.

* Wrap up your expertise: Make a gift of your skills: weekly lessons in yoga, furniture refinishing, sushi making, computer training, massage, etc.

"Lost time is never found again"

Benjamin Franklin

quote from Dr. Martin Luther King:

"Life's most urgent question is: what are you doing for others?"


Martin Luther King, Jr.



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Risk with Faith

Faith is always a matter of choice. We choose to believe in other persons, in institutions, in values and causes. All our truly significant relationships and commitments arise out of such choices. This process of faith inevitably involves risk.

To believe in nothing, however, is a form of death. To risk nothing is to die as a human being.

-Corbin Eddy, MI.




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today

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How Charities are fairing

The Wealthy Continue Charitable Giving

The wealthy are still giving despite the economic downturn, according to a study by Barclay’s Wealth and luxury market consultant Ledbury Research. The study queried 300 Americans and 200 British with an average of $5.4 million in investable assets and found that the wealthy were much more willing to give up luxury goods, staff, eating out, holidays and travel before they would stop giving to charity. Only their children’s education ranked higher than charitable giving when they were asked what they would give up if the downturn proves more protracted.

Even given losses of up to 37% in the stock market, 75% of the high net worth said they wouldn’t decrease their levels of giving; 26% said they would even increase their levels of giving to help charities weather the downturn. That was particularly true of younger donors (under age 45) and entrepreneurs who were likely to increase their giving by 3% to 4%. However, overall, giving was cut back by 2% to 3% on average among all respondents, especially those over 55.

The wealthy were also most committed to global social problems such as health and medical issues, helping children, and the environment as opposed to traditional gifts to churches and the arts. The study also found that the wealthy are likely to play a greater role in funding welfare projects compared with governments in part because governments are innately conservative while the newer breed of donors are more innovative, and partly because government budgets worldwide are constrained by the recession.

Entrepreneurial donors in particular want to treat philanthropy more like a business where they contribute their skills and money directly to a charitable project and can solve a problem rather than merely support a charity. They want to see or measure the impact during their lifetimes as opposed to after their deaths. In the philanthropic new world order, “charities will no longer be able to rely on bequests to the same extent and will have to engage and involve major donors in order to show them the impact their gift will have,” write the study authors.

Barclay’s Wealth and luxury market consultant Ledbury Research


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from Einstein

“The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don’t do anything about it”

--Albert Einstein




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Sowing generously

We are blessed with examples of generosity all around us and yet many of us do not take the same or some action of our own. But when we remember that we are called to give, we surely will discover the even greater reward that awaits us.




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How Simple it really is

I received this from ‘a friend’ recently and thought to share it with you. It depicts accurately the message we are sending in this blog. Although our blog will become rich with ideas and ways to help others, my friend’s message shows just how easily this can be done - we don’t have to look far to make a difference.

“My parents just came here for a visit to help with the kids during an unusually busy time. All the while they were here, they were looking for more to do. They glued kitchen chairs that kept coming apart. They fixed a hinge so a door would close properly. They organized a closet, replaced batteries and washed countless dishes.”

Time with my parents often leaves me marvelling at their generosity. It also makes me want to be more generous myself. Sometimes I get so caught up in taking care of my family and myself that I do little for others. I mean, who needs any more to do?

I don’t have to create a foundation or run a non-profit to be of service. Like Mother Teresa said, I can do small things with great love. I can bake bread for a neighbour, hold a door for a stranger and stop cutting people off when I drive.”




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