New Questions About Local Community Initiatives Answered And Why You Must Read Every Word Of This Report
In bad financial times, many worthwhile philanthropic endeavors suffer because potential donors possess far less discretionary income. However, there is a crucial and effective way that individuals and businesses can assist philanthropies and charities - volunteerism. Whether someone has suffered financially or not, almost all people are nevertheless capable of volunteerism. The Jewish religions uses two terms: (1) Tzedaka- meaning charity or helping, and; (2) Tikun Olam- meaning repairing the world.
By volunteering, individuals may make an important and valuable contribution. In today's economy, where governments are running huge deficits, and many worthwhile projects are increasingly being put "on hold" or eliminated completely, especially by local and state governments, charities need volunteers and contributions to satisfy their important missions. Individuals can volunteer their time and their own personal labor, to help philanthropies better cope by reducing their expenses. If a philanthropy (or charity) can save money on expenses, it can often "stretch" its funds further into important programing.
Some forms of volunteerism include: helping out with local community cleanups; dealing with others on local gardens; assisting in the office, etc., at one's house of worship; transporting elderly, etc. to the supermarket or pharmacy; joining the Board of a local philanthropy; "pitching in" wherever needed, etc. All of these efforts reduce local charities overall expenses in occasions when government grants and other contributions may have been reduced and/ or eliminated.
In difficult financial times, donors need to be selective within their donations. A donor will want to look at the charity/ philanthropy's financial information, to look at just how much actually goes to programming. The higher the
percentage that goes to programming, the greater comfortable a prospective donor should and does feel. Some excellent local charities still have high operating costs as a portion of revenues, and if one feels strongly about one of those organizations, the best way to make others want to donate, is by helping the organization reduce its overhead. That is another area where volunteerism is both necessary and worthwhile!
While financial conditions changed, and schemists like Madoff separated so many from their money, it's more important than ever for folks to be as generous as they can afford, because charities need help even more in bad times than good. In bad financial times, charities need to stretch fewer dollars further because you can find a lot of additional community needs that government has abandoned.
A donor must make sure that any philanthropy/ charity is responsibly discharging its duties, and striving to meet its mission, both effectively and inefficiently. Our politicians like to rhetorically support important causes, but many of these causes and mandates become unfunded, and charities and philanthropies must make up the funding differential. There are numerous religions that urge charity as a doctrine of its faith. If each of us would make a personal pledge to maintain the minimum number of donation, both in good time or youth development bad, the world would be a far better place and there will be less suffering.
