"giving it all away, To a registered charity" 

Dear Etty,     

  This time of year I am deluged with requests for donations.  I want to provide monies to worthy charitable causes.  On the other hand, I have limited resources.  It pains me to turn down solicitations.   Is there an ethical way for making these types of decisions?   

Good Heart 

Dear GH,     

  Very few of us want to return to a Dickensian world where the poor are reduced to begging, stealing, and starving.  However, most federal, state and local relief programs provide the poor and needy with bare minimums essential to sustain life.  Therefore, we look to our charitable organizations to provide additional relief, especially for those who fall outside government programs.  Wouldn’t it be lovely if we operated to lift people out of their impoverished situations?       

  I am glad that you suffer a bit when having to turn down a worthy appeal, because it reflects your humanity.  Ethics asks that we balance between taking care of others and taking care of ourselves.  Certainly, one way to evaluate charitable requests is to observe the soliciting organization first hand.  Another method is to visit an objective evaluator of charities, such as Charity Navigator at the following address: http://www.charitynavigator.org/.         

  My own donation guidelines include giving something if a school child solicits directly for a cause because I feel that it encourages their ethical souls.  I also donate food I would eat to local food pantries.  I like some world-wide causes, such as Doctors Without Borders and Heifer International.  Finally, I volunteer because it makes me feel good.  Perhaps thinking about charitable solicitations as opportunities to volunteer rather than as demands on your checkbook will lower your stress.                                        

Etty