5 Tips for Giving

Well, hello old friend. It appears it's been so long since my last post that Blogger has changed their user interface--lookin' sharp! Between a recent work trip, visiting family and friends, and a truly cruel early-summer cold, things have been busy. But I'm back, with a fun topic to boot.

I occasionally write about the importance of giving back, donating money, and volunteering. This is something I'm really passionate about, and I want to spread the word! You don't have to be independently wealthy, have knowledge on every non-profit on the planet, or spend a lot of time to make a big difference. So, here are my five tips for great giving:

1. Follow your heart. There are literally thousands of non-profits just in the city you live in. This can be overwhelming. The first step is to figure out what you're passionate about. Think about the kind of social issues or news stories that really get you fired up. Maybe you are interested in women's health advocacy. Perhaps you're an animal lover and want to protect our furry friends. Or, maybe the you can't believe how many kids go hungry in the US every day and want to do something to help. Whatever your passion, find a charity that aligns with it. You'll be more interested, more engaged, and more likely to form a long-term giving relationship with a charity that you're personally invested in.

2. Do your research. As I said before, there are more non-profits in this world than you could possibly know what to do with. And, you work hard to earn that money that's burning a hole in your altruistic pocket--don't let it go to an organization that isn't doing their best to further the cause. Every few years, the media goes crazy with a story about how a trusted charity isn't on the up-and-up or has ulterior motives (see Kony 2012, Three Cups of Tea, Komen vs Planned Parenthood, et al). So, take the time to do your research before opening your wallet. Sites like Charity Navigator and Give Well offer insight into the best, most effective charities out there. Additionally, organizations that receive over a certain amount of donations each year are required to make their Annual Report public. Check out an organization's Annual Report and determine what percentage of donations are going to programs and services (as opposed to administrative and fundraising costs). The higher percentage, the better.

Kids playing during recess at a La Esperanza
Granada-sponsered school in Nicaragua

3. Find out ways to make your buck go further. Once you're ready to give some money, find ways to get more bang for your buck. Ask the charity of your choice if they have a matching program. Many charities have benefactors that offer to match donations during a specific time period. That means, for every $50 you give, your donation is matched, for a total of $100. Also, ask your employer if they offer a company match. Many companies encourage charitable giving and pony up matching donations on behalf of their employees. It's worth asking. Finally, when you give a donation, ask the charity where the money is most needed. Most likely, they'll tell you that they want donations to their general fund. This money is used for whatever their most pressing need is at any given time.

4. Keep your receipts! Yes, giving makes us feel all warm and fuzzy and gives us some good karma, but don't forget about your bottom line. If the charity you're donating to is 501(c)3 certified, that means you can deduct your donations from your tax liability every year. Always ask for a receipt and hold on to them until tax time.

5. Give in other ways. Sometimes, money is tight. If you can't make a financial donation, that doesn't mean you can't help in other ways. Most charities rely heavily on volunteers to do everything under the sun: writing thank you notes to donors, walking dogs, tutoring kids, organizing food drives, or cleaning up after events. Think about what you're good at, and offer your services. For example, an organization I support just completed a new website. Since I'm a writer, I offered to proofread their site. Everyone has special talents--get creative about how you can use yours to help others. 

As for me? I love the idea of offering my help and funds to a small group of charities that are important to me, that run the gamut. Currently, I sponsor a Nicaraguan high school student's education through La Esperanza Granada, give as a member to the Women's Philanthropic Investment Group of Seattle in support of our work with women and children, donate to Semester at Sea so that deserving college students have a chance to study abroad, and other things here and there, as they come up.

I'm always curious about the types of causes that other people are passionate about. I'd love to hear about the charities you love in the comments, so type away!

WPIG of Seattle

Earlier this month, I wrote about volunteering and giving back. I love volunteering, and I've recently joined the Women's Philanthropic Investment Group (WPIG), a group of talented, capable, and generally bad-ass women. I'm so proud to be part of this organization. Every two years, we pick an organization to support both financially and with volunteer hours. Every organization we choose has to meet the qualification of taking women and children from places of need to self sufficiency. Our 2011 partner was Ryther, a truly amazing Seattle organization that provides support to some of our region's most vulnerable children.

Additionally, each year, we do a fun event called PIGture Perfect, an art show and auction. Our most recent event was a few months ago, and we raised over $29,000. And, we got the amazing video made that introduces you to our organization. Please take a couple minutes to watch this video and learn more about WPIG.


WPIG of Seattle 2011 Pigture Perfect from Campfire Creative on Vimeo.

If you want to know more about WPIG, friend us on Facebook here. Or follow us on Twitter @wpigseattle. (Can you tell I chair WPIG's marketing committee?)

Shopping for a Good Cause!

Because of all the design work I do on invitations and other party materials in my other endeavor (Vivid City Marketing & Events), I was contacted by a good friend to pitch in on another project, Hope for Jess. It's an Etsy site in honor of Jessica Oldwyn. Jess is a friend of a friend (who I actually had the pleasure of meeting a couple weekends ago) who was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2010.

Jess is an inspiring young woman who has grace, perseverance, and an amazingly positive attitude. Because of this, her friends have donated money, time, and materials to set up an Etsy shop to help raise money to cover some of Jess' mounting medical costs.

Etsy banner, designed by me

And what's the best part? They are selling prints and unstretched giclee canvas prints that are Jess' own creation, called "Hope".

The prints are available in their Etsy Shop. Learn more about Jess and her journey on the Etsy site, and on her blog, which is a really great read.

Giving Back: Volunteering and Money

I've always been a big fan of volunteering, probably starting as a kid with my church. Since then, I've done a lot of volunteer projects, both short- and long-term. I've built houses in Mexico, moved to Nicaragua to teach school in a rural village with La Esperanza Granada, spent almost 4 years tutoring in an after school program with YTP Seattle, am a volunteer advisor at University of Washington's Kappa Alpha Theta house, and am a member of the Seattle Women's Philanthropic Investment Group (WPIG).

But, perhaps since I volunteer so much, I've sort of done that in lieu of donating cold hard cash to my favorite organizations. An organization can have all the volunteers in the world, but without money, they'll be out of business in no time.

Perhaps I'm a little leery of how organizations spend donated money, or I feel more connected when I'm the one actually doing the pavement. But either way, the bottom line is that I haven't been good about ponying up some cash on anything more than a sporadic, infrequent basis.

I think now's the time. I'm going to chat with the Mr. today and come up with a monthly amount that we're comfortable donating, and let him pick where he'd like half of it donated, and I'll pick where the other half goes. (Too bad I didn't think of this plan in time to apply it towards our 2011 taxes, but oh well!)

What do you think, readers? Volunteering or donating money? Certain organizations? I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts on this one.

Coming up!

I'm super excited that this Thursday I'll be attending a networking event with the ladies from Girl Power Hour. GPH is a women's professional networking group in Seattle that throws super fabulous events every few months.

I'm excited for this month's topic, "Girls Just Wanna Have Funds". It's right up my alley, with speakers about financial priorities, "why we buy", and "money makeovers".

Looking forward to reporting back on the blog on Friday!

Rolling over your 401k

File this one under "lessons learned the hard way."

By the time you've been working for 5-10 years, you've probably changed jobs, been laid off, or moved to a different city and left your old job behind, Did you remember to roll over your 401k?

Back in April 2010, the Mr. left his old job behind, and his employer sent him information for how to roll over his 401k into a personal IRA. We filled out all the necessary paperwork, sent everything in, and assumed it was taken care of.

Fast-forward to December 2010, and he wants to check and see how his account is doing and set up online access. After a few looooong phone calls with the financial institution his IRA was with (who will remain nameless--lucky for them!) he discovered that when he enrolled, they never gave him any enrollment options.  We assumed that his money would roll over into the same or similar portfolio options as when he was at his employer. But no. His money had been sitting in a savings account for the last 8 months, instead of earning any money in stocks or mutual funds.

Basically, the stock market was going up, up, up for the last 8 months, and we made a whopping $1.47.

This commercial that I saw a couple nights ago totally sums up what happened to us:



(Please note that Charles Schwab is not the company I'm talking about in this post. This commercial just summed it up nicely. And I kind of like these half-animated people.)

We've since taken steps to move the money to another investment company, hopefully with better customer service.

Here are some tips to keep this from happening to you:

• Do your research. Find consumer reviews for investment companies. Try Bankrate. They have a lot of great information.
• Do your research, part two. This particular financial institution was in the middle of a merger, and that made it a nightmare to get answers to our questions. We got tossed around back and forth between the two companies just trying to talk to the right people.
• Make sure your new company is keeping you up to date about your investments, We never got a single statement during the 8 months we were with them.
• Figure out your options for changing to another investment company. Once you are at your new job, can you roll this money back into your new 401k? What if you are just disappointed with the service? Can you move it elsewhere? 

Bottom Line: It's your money, no matter how much it is. Make sure the company you choose is going to be your partner in growing your retirement nest egg!