Giving Bootcamp: How to Give Wisely

Australian charities anticipate a 10% increase in demand for their services by 2010.

There are so many worthy causes out there all in desperate need of financial support. Instinctively you want to help but the sheer number of requests can be overwhelming. You are asked to dig deep when you stop at the traffic lights, when you open your mail and when you pick up the telephone.

A GIVING PLAN

Having a Giving Plan in place will provide structure to your desire to give. You will find it empowering to know, in advance, what your response will be to all the many requests for donations that you receive.

A Giving Plan can be short or long, detailed or very simple. The important thing is to go through a

process of thinking about your giving so that you become a better-informed and more proactive giver.

NOW IS THE PERFECT TIME

In the wake of the generosity sparked by Black Saturday’s bushfires, and with the approaching end of the year, this is the perfect time to review last year’s giving and to come up with

a Giving Plan for 2010.

GETTING STARTED

•  Put aside some time – an hour might be enough

•  Print – Giving Wisely Help Sheet

•  Sit down on your own or as a family or group

The Help Sheet is based on the philosophy and practical tools developed by heiress Tracy Gary, a

world-renowned giving expert. It will guide you through the process of developing a Giving Plan, asking you to consider:

•  Why do you want to give?

•  Who to give to?

•  Where to give?

•  Which organisations to give to?

•  How to evaluate an organisation?

•  How much to give?

•  When should you give?

•  How to do follow up?

FOLLOW UP

Giving strategically means that you need to review and update your giving.

Diarise an opportunity to review your plan every three months. Reviewing the plan regularly allows

you to take into account changes to your priorities, your passions and your financial situation. It also will help you account for unforeseen emergency appeals and other contingencies.

YOUR GIVING PLAN

“Developing a Giving Plan that will give some clear direction to your giving will give you confidence that you are placing your dollars well,” says GiveNow.com.au Director Hannah Schwartz. “No matter if you’re giving away $10 a year or $10 million a year, the beauty of a Giving Plan is that it ensures you are giving thoughtfully and in a way that’s aligned with your own values and beliefs, rather than spraying money around without any structure.

“You might want to donate to those organisations at the front line helping people in need, or those who are working in the background to try to eliminate the conditions that caused them to be needy in the first place.

“You might choose to support grassroots fledgling groups or long established groups, local or international groups, those carrying out proven solutions or those breaking new ground – all of this will depend on your view of the world, and the world you would like to see created through your

donation .”

Stuart W’s Giving Plan

Maroochydore, QLD

I am a single guy on a pretty basic wage. What I don’t spend, I try and save. But I make a point of giving a few hundred dollars each year to support cancer research. My dad died of liver cancer and it is my way of acknowledging what he went through.

Because I don’t give much financially, I regularly clear out my cupboards and donate what I don’t need to the local op shop. I also train kids each week at the surf club .

The Mink family’s Giving Plan

Bentleigh, Victoria

My wife and I donate 2% of our gross annual income. One day we hope to be in a position to give more but this allows us to make a difference without impacting on our rising living expenses.

We try and divide the money – 50% in Australia and 50% to international causes.

We sat down in June and listed which groups we wanted to support this financial year. We took into account our religious community, our desire to help children in need, our children’s love of animals and our particular connection to issues such as diabetes and mental health.

We put some money aside in the event of an emergency appeal (which we drew on for the bushfires) and we also committed some money to the pending building appeal at our children’s school.

There is nothing stopping us from giving gold coins away on an ad hoc basis. But we find that having a giving plan gives us the freedom to say “no” without any awkwardness or shame.

When we are approached by one of the organisations we have earmarked – we know exactly how much we want to give. And at the end of the financial year, if we haven’t been approached, we will just make a donation online or send in a cheque.