Charities Donations Solve Problems

"I believe that if you show people the problems and you show them the solutions they will be moved to act. "
Bill Gates

I'm sure that you will agree with this quotation from Bill Gates if you think about it a little. Charities have for a long time been using the tv and other media to tell us all about the problems that people face in the world today. They also give us indications of how we can improve the lives of people in need and of course they give us the means by which we can play a part in the aid process. Charities donations isn't always about money. You can give all kinds of things and make a difference. Warm clothes, tinned food, cars or spectacles are just a few of the things that cane be done. Of course you can also give your time if you have any. Why not take a look at all the things that you don't use any more but are too good to throw away. You could end up making a significant donation without it costing you any money.

I think that most of us are happy to make charity donations after a disaster of some kind but how many of us make regular donations? If you don't give regularly you may not be aware of the tax benefits of giving to charity. Depending on where you live you may be able to get considerable tax breaks for your donations. In some parts you can donate a car and offset it against your tax bill. In the UK charities can reclaim the tax you have already paid on your charity donation. With basic rate tax in the UK running at 22% this represents a significant boost for the charity. All you have to do is fill in a form to way that you are a tax payer.

I don't have a favourite charity and if you are anything like me then you probably don't have one either. If this is the case then it's a good idea to budget your donations for the year by deciding how much you are going to donate in advance. When you have done this you can then decide whom you are going to help. There are international charities like the Oxfam, Red Cross, Cafod, etc. that are known worldwide and are often seen to arrive at disaster scenes before anyone else. After a major disaster charities are set up to help rebuild communities and peoples lives. Recent examples have been events such as the Tsunami and Hurricane Katrina. If you search the Internet you will find lots of details about those. By supporting charities donations for these one off disasters it means that you can get help to the people who have lost everything to allow them to start their lives again.

Maybe it's better to help closer to home with charity donations. It can be very satisfying and enjoyable to be involved with local fund raising for schools and churches etc. When my family was young I used to help raise money for our local school. I was donating my time, a little money and goods and we had a good time and made new friends by doing it. The children loved celebrating harvest festival by donating fresh vegetables and fruit and when the festival was all over the food would be given to a local charity for the homeless.

That was all a long time ago now and I leave the school fund raising to the younger parents. I still help people though but I do it differently. I have recently supported Cancer research because it is affecting my family. It seems to affect everyone's family doesn't it? I also like to support children's charities both local and international. Knowing that my charities donations are helping to make a better future gives me a lot of satisfaction.