Charitable Giving
Do you or someone you know donate to charitable organizations? If not, shame on you. Virtually everyone can benefit from charitable organizations and their mission statements. Authors of Happiness of Giving: The Time Ask Effect, Liu and Aaker, posed two valuable questions when it comes to donating to charities. “To what degree do you believe happiness is tied to volunteering?” “To what degree do you believe happiness is tied to donating money?” These questions are linked to various answers or excuses as I like to call them. A lot of folks will gladly donate at least a dollar or two to a charitable cause even if they’ve never heard of the organization. Obviously, everyone can’t or won’t donate all the time due to budget or just flat out not having any cash or change on them at the time. However, I have to say that most organizations have made it very simple to donate 24/7. My husband is in active duty Air Force and together, we donate using the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) and Air Force Aid Society (AFAS). The CFC allows those willing to donate 25,000 different charities to donate to. If you can’t find a charity worth a dollar within that many agencies, maybe you need to stop looking at the Dollar Menu at McDonald’s just one day. AFAS allows us to financially assist Active Duty, Guard, Reserve, and the spouses and dependents of those who serve by providing scholarships and financial aid for those who might have trouble paying utility bills or even buying groceries due to unforeseen events. So you still don’t want to donate huh? You don’t have to be the door-to-door charitable recruiter or even that crazy person that stands in the middle of a busy intersection attempting to invade your personal space with only a thin plexiglass window between you and a stranger. Nope, you don’t have to be either of those. What you should do though is be a caring person on some level and donate some money! Any amount will due. For example, I donated ten
References: LIU, W., & AAKER, J. (2008). The Happiness of Giving: The Time-Ask Effect. Journal of Consumer Research, 35(3), 543-557. Retrieved from EBSCOhost. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=34412967&site=ehost-live Mannes, G., & Braverman, B. (2009). HOW TO GIVE WHEN THE GIVING GETS TOUGH. Money, 38(12), 94-100. Retrieved from EBSCOhost. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=45164467&site=ehost-live Combined Federal Campaign (CFC), http://www.opm.gov/cfc/ Air Force Aid Society (AFAS), http://www.afas.org/ American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), www.aspca.org