Foster Group

It’s that time of year again! Your mail box is filling with requests for donations. Maybe your phone is ringing or your neighbor is at the door asking for a donation for his favorite organization. How does that make you feel?

Do you have an intentional giving strategy for your family or, like so many, do you respond to requests for contributions based on who approaches you or what comes in your mailbox, and then find that you have little left to give to causes you’d really like to support? Planned giving can provide some structure to your gifts and allow you to feel more intentional about your choices. It’s really not so difficult and step one is to identify an annual giving amount - an estimate is ok - and it becomes a starting point allowing you to use your dollars in a manner that provides the benefit where you hope to have impact.

Step two is the fun part; deciding who or which organizations will receive contributions, how much and when. Including your family in this process makes charitable giving a family affair. Whether your children are youngsters or adults with children of their own, it’s never too early or too late to start intentional family giving conversations and to reap the rewards of shared strategies. Allowing everyone a voice in the use of the funds can establish a pattern of giving for your family members for the future and allow you to use your charitable dollars in a way that aligns with your personal beliefs and the causes that are dear to your heart and those of your family members. It can also lead to some pretty neat conversations on why you support each organization or individual you choose and the impact you would like to have. It can also be a way to connect the past to the present … and to the future, if you are honoring a loved one by contributing to a cause that was influential in their life.

You might consider a family activity giving of your time together to benefit an organization that your family would like to support.

So, how do you respond to that request that doesn’t fit your giving strategy for this year? Communicating that you have a family giving plan and that the funds for this year are already committed is a pretty strong reply and, in my experience, is usually respected and seen as a positive response. If it’s a cause of interest to you, you might say you will consider a gift next year.

We all tend to be a little more focused on gratitude around Thanksgiving and that makes this a perfect time to think about our year-end giving as well as planning for the year ahead. If you have thoughts to share on this subject, I would love to hear from you!