...For solicitation of all kinds of charities. So how do you allocate your giving, and why? Here's my view.
Start Local
While small, local charities and foundations may be harder to find, they often make better use of the money and goods. Furthermore, charity begins at home, and in your neighborhood. While giving cash to street people often can be inadvisable, many fast food places have gift cards available. Heck, even transit tokens can have value. But giving directly to a local outreach organization, instead of letting a giant organization like the Red Cross or the United way siphon administrative funds off of it, is a better way to get more done for your money.
Stay Secular
You really wouldn't want to fund a religious organization with an agenda to push a religion that you don't share, do you? While it is true that there are a few religious charities that don't preach, just do good work, they don't seem to be the most common. IMO, the ones with their hands out the most obnoxiously are the ones selling a religion. If you have to sit through a sermon to get a meal, that's not charity - that paying for an audience to a "pitch".
Fund Your Interests
Another reason to avoid the "one big pot" charities - you have little say over who gets your money. If you support family planning, give directly to
Planned Parenthood. If you support feeding the hungry, give directly to
Second Harvest. If you support homeless advocacy, give directly to one of the members of
W.R.A.P.. If you want to help animals, support your
local shelter or
spay and neuter program.
Help Your Friends and Family
It's too bad that you can't take a tax credit for helping economically disadvantaged or disabled adults who aren't related to you. Instead thay want you to fund some bureaucracy to give them what the bureaucrats think they need (based on an ivory tower study by a think tank that's never needed anything.) It can be small - a lift to go get groceries, or meds, a sympathetic ear for kvetching, an outside perspective on drama, a phone call or an email to say hello, or things like that. You don't have to be rich to help others.
Pick the Neglected Charities
An example of this: During the holiday season, everybody and her brother are pitching stuff for kids - Toys for Toys, Make A Wish, yada, yada. Yet there are a lot of elderly people in nursing homes and long term care facilities whose families don't even bother to send them a card. Or adults whose families are gone or estranged. The holidays are hard on them, too. So find a shelter or a senior center, and send them a nice card with all of the rest you send out. If you are in a carolling group, pick a senior center or a stroke recovery facility instead of a chidren's hospital.
Free Stuff
No, not for you, but free or low cost stuff you can do for others: caroling, visiting, listening, phone calls, have a friend over for a meal, cards to senior centers, helping young people learn to shop frugally, giving bottled water to the homeless, saying hello to your neighbors. Be inventive. Put yourself in the other person's shoes, and think about what you can do, without breaking the bank.
Conclusion
Charitable needs are not present only during the holidays, so try to set yourself goals for involvement throughout the year. If you give up just one meal out a month, that adds up to a nice chunk on a yearly basis. Even if you are disabled, or retired, and have more time than money, there is stuff you can do all year 'round.
Charity is not just pledging to the United Way and forgetting about it. It is helping people on a regular basis, as a way of life, regardless of your religion. Every religion I know of has some principle of community assistance and interdependence.
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