Your dollar makes a difference

Your gift is truly a gift.

Research shows that a lot of giving happens in December! Numbers range from 28 to 31 percent of annual charitable giving takes place in December, and 12 percent happens in the last three days of the year. How will you give this year, and what will motivate you?

As you prepare to make your Giving Tuesday or yearend charitable gifts to nonprofits, remember this – your gift really does make a difference. Keep the passion in your giving! Reflect on what it is that drives you to give now and throughout the year. Your gift makes a personal impact on the lives of people you may never meet. And they may never know that you were the person behind the Christmas dinner their family received. Or that your family contributed to the scholarship fund that paid their tuition, books, or emergency costs associated with starting and finishing college.

Visualize the difference your gift can make. Think about seniors receiving nutritious meals delivered to their door. Young families with a roof over their head. People with access to health care they otherwise could not afford. Your gift may bring counselors into schools, or scientific equipment into after school programs. You can shelter abandoned animals, empower women and girls, increase access to the arts, and ensure people with disabilities are included and welcomed in all aspects of life, including the workplace. The list is limitless. Our nonprofits are our heart. And they need our money.

This year it is especially important for each of us to continue our giving and to increase our giving. It has been estimated that there may be a decrease in gifts to nonprofits in 2018 from those individuals who are impacted by changes in the tax code that double the standard deduction. If you fall into this category, think beyond the financial drivers of your giving and reflect on the emotional and social reasons why you give.

Regardless of tax implications, rely on your heart – and your research – when your give. You can learn more about local, national and international nonprofits at www.charitynavigator.com

Nonprofits are one way we – individually and collectively – make a difference in the lives of our neighbors – those we know and those we don’t know. Give from your heart. So many depend on your generosity.

For help growing your fundraising – and planning for 2019 – call us at (901) 522-8727 or visit www.saadandshaw.com.

Image courtesy of 123RF.com.