By Carol Lucas
Many are the times I have been called a “bleeding heart liberal.” Sometimes this has been said with a wink and a chuckle; on other occasions, it has been hurled with rancor and disdain. I will always contend that as far as politics are concerned, I am a moderate. Furthermore, it is accurate to say that I am a fiscal conservative and a social liberal. All these name tags describe anyone who is willing to give to those folks who are truly in need.
The operative word, however, in that last statement is “truly.” Recently, it would seem that there is so much activity on the behalf of charities that one has to stop and analyze, prioritize, and realize that all may not be equally deserving. While that may be difficult, I contend that there has to be a way to reduce the huckstering that takes place, especially this time of year.
No one is more dedicated to the idea of volunteering than I, and that includes donating money as well as time. After all, I have written about the service learning program that I coordinated for 12 years of my high school teaching career. Not only was it rewarding for the recipients for whom the efforts were made, but also for those who provided both time and, in many cases, goods. Kids learned early on that there were needs that could be met with some effort and good will.
It seems to me, however, that as of late, “gifting” of any nature has become laden with pressure. I have those groups to which I consistently donate, one of which is the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. I am aware of the good they do, having discovered this when my husband was diagnosed with CLL. Additionally, I try to give to local firefighters and police. I make this clear when the state organizations of these groups call. My motivation for this is simple: charitable donations should begin on the home turf.
We are all confronted by individual situations that we know are worthy causes. How many times have you heard of a family whose home has burned or who has a child with illness that is causing insurmountable medical bills, and the family has no insurance? In a case such as this, you know the need is unequivocal, and it isn’t a random case of setting up a “Go Fund Me” for whatever reason.
While I don’t take the time to count the number of phone solicitations I receive on any given day, I am not exaggerating when I say the number is at least a half dozen. I’ve gotten to the place where I check the caller ID, and if it is from any number of towns throughout the state, or even the country, I let it go to voicemail. Rarely is a message left there. Might I add that this has expanded my sense of geography, especially for the state of S.C. I had no previous knowledge of the towns that crop up on caller ID prior to this influx. By the way, my approach applies to “name unavailable” as well.
When I think of the number of trees that are brought to the ground in order to create the mailed pleas for donations, the environmentalist in me shudders. I was out of town for five days, and in that period, I received mail from eight different organizations, asking for donations. The ninth letter was a repeat, asking whether or not I had received the gift they had sent earlier.
Which leads me to an issue I find more than a little off-putting. I call it “guilt gifting.” In the beginning, it was, depending upon the season, return address stickers. I often wondered how many folks have accumulated a vast number of these, certainly more than the letters he or she will ever write. I remember helping to clear out an older person’s belongings after she had passed away. She had accumulated well over seventy-five of these. I could only think about postage, paper, and the futility of saving this kind of thing, just in case.
Today the guilt gift has become much more creative, dare I say imposing. I have received so many tote bags that after a while, I began to tote them to the garbage can. Calendars, large and small. Pens featuring the logo of the charity, and a T-shirt touting my patriotism all came in recently, with the request for a donation.
The best arrived this weekend – a seven-day pill box from a lung cancer group. Might I add it was ensconced in a plastic container much too large for the box itself. Shuddering again.
Come on, folks. Save the money you are putting into this merchandise that is meant to guilt us into making a donation. I would very much like to know the cost of buying as well as sending these items. While it may well bring to the said charity a tax deduction, does that really offset the cost?
I have done some research regarding many of these organizations, and I discovered that one thing that needs scrutiny is the salary of the CEOs that head each. These statistics are readily available on the internet.
Charity Watch believes it is reasonable for an organization to set aside less than three years’ worth of its annual budget for financial stability and possible future needs. When a charity’s available assets in reserve exceeds three years’ worth of its annual budget, Charity Watch downgrades its final letter grade rating. However, they do continue to show what a charity’s efficiency rating was prior to being downgraded for those donors who do not wish to factor a charity’s high assets into their giving decisions.
In closing, I want to stress that in no way do I wish to demean any specific charity, nor would I discourage your giving, regardless of the time of year. Perhaps by writing this piece, I run the risk of being labeled Scrooge or the Grinch, both of whom are a stark contradiction to the previous monikers bestowed upon me.
What I do suggest is this. By all means, toss some money into the Salvation Army kettle, and give the bell ringer a big smile when you do. However, do a little research before writing that check. And don’t be drawn in by those totes and shirts.
Carol Lucas is a retired high school teacher and a Lady’s Island resident. She is the author of the recently published “A Breath Away: One Woman’s Journey Through Widowhood.”
