Give According to Your Values

Why is it important to give according to your values? There are millions of nonprofit organizations in the world, and they would all love to be the beneficiary of your donation. Choosing to give to an organization which values the same principles as you and your family gives you the peace of mind that your gift is furthering the causes you care about most. Choosing where to give is a big question with potential long-reaching and even eternal impact!

Here are some suggested questions to consider as you formulate a values statement for your financial giving:

1. If you could write the last check to end a world problem, what would it be? World hunger? Bible literacy? Human trafficking? Orphan care?
2. What type of programs do you support? Community development? Child sponsorship? Financial micro grants? Education/training opportunities
3. Is supporting a faith-based organization important to you?
4. Can you get personally involved with the organization by volunteering?

There are tools available to help you find organizations which match your answers to the questions above. GuideStar is one example. It provides a directory of 1.8 million charities and organizations that cover a broad spectrum of causes! By searching GuideStar and reading up on the profile/results provided for each organization, you can quickly gain familiarity with the basics of some potential matches! That can help you narrow down a list to look into further.

What if you find multiple causes you want to support, how should you handle that? Consider assigning each organization a percentage of your total giving for the year, as a way to spread the impact of your donations.

Welcome your family into these discussions and decisions. Make them feel a part of the process and use this opportunity to teach them the value of generosity.

Use the resources God has blessed you as a tool to make an instrumental difference in the causes you care about the most!