Giving on a Limited Budget: Who to Give to and When to Give

Answering the who and when of giving!

• Giving benefits both the receiver and the giver.
• Charity can be done in the form of skills, blood, time, etc, apart from money and can therefore be taken up by almost anyone who desires to contribute to a worthy cause.
• Givers should exercise ‘informed giving’ by ensuring that charitable organisations adhere to their mission and values, are properly registered and produce positive outcomes. 

Who to Give To?

With so many charities worldwide, deciding who to give to may be difficult. You may want to perform ‘informed giving’ by donating to a specific cause and by ensuring that those organisations adhere to their missions and values and produce positive outcomes. Perhaps, you may also want to consider if they have sufficient reserves to bear operating expenditure shortly or if they need immediate donations. 

‘Informed Giving’ is a method to reduce the risk of Charity fraud and help givers increase the chances of making an actual impact with their donations, i.e. the intent with which they make the donations. 

Verification of the legitimacy of the fund-raising appeals can be done via the Charity Portal, scanning the fund-raising permit’s QR Code or SMS-ing “FR<space><license/certificate number or organisation name>” to 79777.

When to Give?

Givers can donate at their convenience, when asked for donations, or regularly every month or other sustained fashions. There is never any restriction on the time to donate.

Those who intend to create a bigger impact with their giving could set up a charitable fund to give to causes closer to their hearts.

For example, the Community Foundation of Singapore (CFS), a non-profit, helps donors find a more structured and sustainable way of giving by providing advice and managing their charitable fund. To set up a named charitable fund in the CFS, where the donor decides on the fund's name and the causes to give to, donors must pledge at least $200,000.

Those who can’t promise enough gifts can directly donate any amount to Community Impact Funds that have been set up by CFS to support lesser-known causes.

Conclusion

Giving forms the essence of an altruistic lifestyle with its benefits to the mental and financial well-being of the giver as well. Gifts can take any form, can be given by anyone and are not restricted to monetary donations made by the rich. Moreover, there is no minimum amount that a donation needs to be made. Giving has no bounds on the amount or nature of donations. What one requires is a heart to donate with a vision to make an impact and express gratitude for what they’ve been blessed with. So go ahead and donate now!

GIVING ON A LIMITED BUDGET. COMPLETED. ✅

Sources: 

1. https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/donating-money-is-not-the-only-way-to-help
2. https://facesandvoicesofrecovery.org/how-to-be-more-charitable-without-spending-money/
3. https://www.talkspace.com/blog/giving-back-mental-health-impact/
4. https://www.iras.gov.sg/irashome/Other-Taxes/Charities/Donations-and-Tax-Deductions/
5. Cover photo by Pexels