Charities Donations Solve Problems

"I believe that if you show people the problems and you show them the solutions they will be moved to act"
Bill Gates

If you think about it I know youll agree that Bills statement is true. Charities have used the media to make sure that we know the problems. They also show us how we can make things better for the lives of the people who need help. It's not just money either. For example, charities donations could be tinned foods or warm clothes for bitterly cold nights, or glasses to help people see. You can even donate your car to be used or sold by the charity. These are things that we dont have a use for any more but are still far too good to throw away. This way we can make a difference easily and make us feel that we are helping in a way that doesnt mean we have to give money.

If you give money to charity, do you give charity donations regularly or just when you see on the news that a disaster has happened? If you donate money to charity regularly, I expect you have already decided on what is most important to you, such as homelessness, Aids or cancer. I also expect you have discovered the tax benefits too. The tax that you have already paid on charities donations can be reclaimed by the charity. With minimum tax in the UK at 22%, that can make a big difference to how much the charities raise. If you have not filled in the forms, ask the charity for more information on how to do it.

If you are like me and you dont have a favourite charity. It is a good idea to plan your budget for the year and then decide who you are going to help. Charities like the Red Cross, Oxfam, Cafod, etc. are known worldwide and are often first to arrive at disaster scenes. Then there are the charities set up as one offs to help rebuild communities after disasters, such as Hurricane Katrina and the Tsunami. Searching the Internet will help find details of those. Supporting charities donations for these last two areas means that the people who have suddenly lost everything can receive help to start again.

You might think that it is better to help with charity donations closer to home. Sometimes the best and most satisfying things to do is to be involved in fund raising at a local level. When my family was young we used to help raise money for the local school. This meant donating time as well as money or goods and as a result we made new friends. We lived in a country village and the children celebrated harvest festival by giving fresh vegetables and fruit. When the festival was over the food would be given to a local charity for the homeless.

The children have now grown up and we have moved from the village. That doesnt mean that I have stopped helping. It just means that I do it differently. I work full time now so I cant give my time easily. In recent years I have chosen two areas to support. One is cancer research as it is affecting my family. The other is childrens charities, local, national and international. In this way I get the satisfaction of believing my financial help to the charities donations makes a better future.