Well, today is the first day of winter, and appropriately enough, the temperature dropped down last night and when I woke up there was the first frost we have had, with ice in puddles. Our car is a Mondeo estate (I love Fords) and it has an interesting feature on the dashboard. When the temperature drops below 4 C an orange snowflake glows, and when it is freezing or below, the snowflake turns red - to warn you of adverse road conditions. I took the dogs over to Tredegar House, and never cease to enjoy the beauty of the park and of the house itself. From the outside you mainly see the 17th Century exterior and it's gorgeous; dignified, mellow bricks and just a touch of grandeur with the stone carvings and ornate ironwork of the gates. Andy was very disappointed that there were no squirrels for him to play with - he's not interested in architecture.
As well as being the start of winter, it is also the beginning of Advent. I've opened the first window of the Advent calendar (I love doing this) but have also been giving some serious thoughts to other matters. Advent, like Lent is a time for reflection and preparation, and I have been musing on charitable giving. I had got out of the habit of tithing, with having an interrupted employment history recently, but now that I am earning a smaller but steady amount now feel the time is right to give this some serious commitment. As someone who has been involved with running a small charity, I know how important the foundation is of a regular, reliable income stream. This sort of donation is also much easier to manage in a tax-efficient way. I'm not knocking or criticising donation by event or special occasion - I'm glad to take part myself, but regular giving can do so much more for a charity. I also think there is a special reward in tithing - a regular donation of part of my income. Even though my income has dropped in recent years, in global terms I am immensely wealthy. I have a warm, spacious house, plenty of good food, reliable private transport, warm clothes and shoes, access to travel, dental care, access to health care, three dogs with access to veterinary care and enough spare money to enjoy hobbies, books, entertaining and wine drinking. All this makes us well off beyond the dreams of many people in developing countries and I often think with sadness that our dogs have better access to veterinary care (and vaccinations) than many children.
So, over the next few weeks, I am going to be drawing up a list of three charities and will be donating to them regularly from the New Year - the next few weeks will be spent in researching and refining my list. Any suggestions or ideas very gratefully received, for charities that you think are particularly special, interesting or worthy of support. If anyone reading this is already tithing and wants to encourage me, or share experiences of giving in any way please do let me know.
As well as being the start of winter, it is also the beginning of Advent. I've opened the first window of the Advent calendar (I love doing this) but have also been giving some serious thoughts to other matters. Advent, like Lent is a time for reflection and preparation, and I have been musing on charitable giving. I had got out of the habit of tithing, with having an interrupted employment history recently, but now that I am earning a smaller but steady amount now feel the time is right to give this some serious commitment. As someone who has been involved with running a small charity, I know how important the foundation is of a regular, reliable income stream. This sort of donation is also much easier to manage in a tax-efficient way. I'm not knocking or criticising donation by event or special occasion - I'm glad to take part myself, but regular giving can do so much more for a charity. I also think there is a special reward in tithing - a regular donation of part of my income. Even though my income has dropped in recent years, in global terms I am immensely wealthy. I have a warm, spacious house, plenty of good food, reliable private transport, warm clothes and shoes, access to travel, dental care, access to health care, three dogs with access to veterinary care and enough spare money to enjoy hobbies, books, entertaining and wine drinking. All this makes us well off beyond the dreams of many people in developing countries and I often think with sadness that our dogs have better access to veterinary care (and vaccinations) than many children.
So, over the next few weeks, I am going to be drawing up a list of three charities and will be donating to them regularly from the New Year - the next few weeks will be spent in researching and refining my list. Any suggestions or ideas very gratefully received, for charities that you think are particularly special, interesting or worthy of support. If anyone reading this is already tithing and wants to encourage me, or share experiences of giving in any way please do let me know.
2 comments:
Hey there, me again. I give some money every month to Cancer Research. I'm fairly sure its one you'll have looked at already. I know they probably get loads of money anyway but then I reason that they also manage their money better than some smaller "volunteer only" charities would. Having said that these latter are more "local" and close to the people than something like Cancer Research. Its a difficult call - there are so many deserving causes out there both local, national and international. Personally I shy away from animal charities - I believe people are more important but I know this is an emotive area. At the end of the day you need to be selfish with your generosity and give where you feel most comfortable giving. So not a lot of help at all there! But glad you're thinking of doing it. J x
Reading about your decisions on charity contributions I pondered my dilemma here in the USA. There have been so many scandals on money subverted or wasted by established charity organizations that you would think were trustworthy that it makes one leery about opening the pocketbook very wide. I have assuaged some of my fears by donating liberally in materials instead of dollars. I load up the back of my station wagon with non-perishable foods regularly for a run to the local food bank. I donate household goods and clothing to local charities too. During the summer the Salvation Army needed fans to give to older people without air conditioning (which is pretty much a necessity here in the southeast) so I went to the local hardware and bought a carload of box fans to take to them. I give books to the library and pet food to animal shelters. I also have three quilts that I'm going to take to the battered women's shelter next week. These are things I think can make a difference which will actually reach those who need the help. I am rather strange about giving much money to the Anglican churches here; I am more than willing to support the church's maintenance and charity funds but they seem to take the money and buy real estate such as adjacent lots for parking - not what I was thinking it should be used for!
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