Tis The Season Part II

As the prime holidays of the year are about to commence and December 31 (the deadline for charitable giving for 2009) is mere weeks away, I wanted to direct your attention to four news stories that focus on charitable giving.

Study: Sites to bring in billions in holiday donations
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10407501-93.html?tag=newsLatestHeadlinesArea.0

Red Cross Says Americans Still in a Giving Mood
http://directmag.com/casehistories/nonprofit/1130-red-cross-donations/

Corporate giving campaigns adjust to economy, but show signs of recovery
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-mon-giving-workplace-1123-nov23,0,1313298,full.story

A different sort of holiday cheer
Lavish parties are out, but events focused on charity are in
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/21/AR2009112100020.html?wprss=rss_business

I'm no economist but these articles lead me to think that some optimism is in the air. Perhaps the end, or the nearing end, of the recession is nigh. Such a happening would certainly be a relief and a wonderful holiday present.

But you might question, why include articles that talk about consumer giving? My reason is the fact that our lives are intimately tied to corporations. They produce, market, and distribute the goods and services we rely on. For many of us, they provide us with work and pay our salaries. Even if we work for a small business or for ourselves, we are still impacted / influenced by corporations.

If consumers feel too uncertain about the future, then that concern will have a direct and dramatic effect upon charitable giving. How can one make a donation if there is a concern that his/her job will be eliminated?

Uncertainly does not just affect individuals. Consider this: how can a corporation, that is all about making a profit for its owners or shareholders, make charitable donations if revenues and profits are down?

But I do not want to take on the role of Scrooge in this posting. I think its heart lifting that there are such positive indications about charitable giving - corporate and individual - this year. Adding to this positive "vibe" are all the retailers that are partnered up with nonprofits (see my last post).

So for my next post I'll write about more of these charity / retail programs. But for now my I suggest that you start writing up your gift list for charities. Today I received a direct mail piece from a charity in my neighborhood. I had not heard of them before, but I intend to check it out. So this nonprofit might find itself on my personal list this year.

Salud.