Charity​​​​​​​ Begins...!

What better time to give vent to random thoughts than in between the Holidays. Forget the unmailed Christmas cards, the money envelopes, the gifts for those who 'service' you all year long, the dinner dates not yet confirmed - and so on! And, yes, it's ViewPoint time, and who wants to hear another opinion on WikiLeaks, or Tax legislation, or '...don't ask, don't tell...', or the 'Recovery' is real, or it's not! So, on that note here's a random thought rescued from the column topics file - one that may even have occurred to you, dear reader, and particularly now when your own taxes are beginning to take shape for 2011.

Charitable giving is both an ​opportune time to reduce taxes​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​, and a compensating act of attrition for those who fail to do anything meaningful​ during the year to help fellow man (or woman), cure a disease, feed the hungry, provide shelter, prepare for disaster,  or you name it! Chances are your mail box is the recipient of several urgent requests for money every week of the year - some new, and far too many, old and tired!

All of which brings this writer to a 2010 conclusion. Enough is enough. Charity begins at home. Plus any of the other scores of biblical references or language cliches which have prompted action, or conversely, inaction​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​! The point we're coming to is the time has come for a decision which will bring despair to many organizations, and great joy to others. Simply, knock off the recipients who have become so ingrained in the list of charitable donations that the check goes out with virtually no thought at all. It follows the electric bill, the credit card invoice, the car lease, the mortgage payment, and all the usual obligations you have deliberately brought on yourself, but accept with reasonably good nature.

Not so the charitable contributions. If you are new to the annual review of tax deductions via charitable gifts, welcome to the fold! You are to be congratulated for thinking of others and their desperate needs. Just pause for a moment as you send the check off today, and ask yourself if ​you will do that again next year? - or, even, will you respond if the charity should ask for a follow up gift that frequently is built into the electronic mailing list system for action mid year?

But, hey, you are a regular, a long time contributor to certain charities. You don't even know if the disease in question is​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ responding to the application of money to research​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​. You aren't certain where the organization is located. You have no idea how many employees need your contribution to pay their salaries. You are unaware of the salary paid by the organization Board to the CEO - or if a bonus is included! In fact, you couldn't even hazard a guess how much of the incoming funds are directed to research and results.

Still, the check is written, the envelope mailed, and the tax deduction taken. Now, sit back, think about it. Say you are a generous spender. You add up a thousand dollars this year. Lots of $25 gifts, many $50 gifts, and even a $100 here and there. A thousand dollars is an easy target. You receive a quiet 'thank you' from the recipients and you trust the IRS will not question your generosity. After all, your income is sufficient to warrant this kind of charitable outlook. It doesn't even cover the cash left in the collection basket at the exit of your favorite religious hideaway.

But, suppose your decision to cut the usual suspects, for a major contribution to one or two important resources, known to you as honest, reliable, meaningful organizations where doing good has an impact far beyond the chicken feed dollars sent to many established powerhouse charities. Imagine the reaction when an employee accustomed to opening the daily mail come on a $500 check - or Egad! - a $1000 check! That discovery calls for a brisk walk to the CEO's office and a truly grateful reaction ensues.

Of course, these numbers are as random as this column. Still, the need to rethink the whole process is called for and useful. Since you cannot feed, clothe, and shelter the whole world, no matter what hedge fund you are running, try being a real hero by allowing your generosity to accomplish so much, and give you inner pleasure at the thought. And one more thing. Just for taking the time to read this epic piece, you have taken a break from the chaos of the Holidays - and that is one meaning for: "charity begins at home!"

Richard Carlton

December 15, 2010

Issue No. 25 

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