A Charity's Not Just for Christmas

Do you give to charity - Which charity/ies, How do you chose, How much each / annually, What percentage of your wealth do you give?????

I've thought about these questions over the years & I do give, on a regular basis. I have personal criteria for the charities I select - I support women, children, the homeless, disasters, (natural & man made), education, (it's the route out of poverty for everyone), ecology - Usually smaller, niche, charities like Micro Finance, which make small, low tech interventions which actually work & change lives.

I don't give to the huge charity businesses, they get enough money from everyone else & I'm not convinced I agree with the superstructure which supports them. I don't like "Chuggers"- I don't like been stopped in the street or people knocking on my door. I don't like being sent useless labels & pens. I don't go for the big business / celebrity aspect of charities, which now hog a huge proportion of aid like "Comic Relief" or "Children in Need".

There is a website, Charity Choice - http://www.charitychoice.co.uk/ which gives you reports on charities you are interested in donating to, so donors can make informed decisions. Some donors just give randomly or emotionally. Some respond to a catastrophe. Some give a percentage of their total wealth or of their income. (Muslims give 2.5% of their total wealth - Zakat). It's a personal choice.

The thing is, if we can afford to, we should try to balance what we have against the suffering of others. Christmas is a good time to think about that. Big Corporations & Governments could & should do a lot more, but that doesn't let us off the hook, to continue the fishing analogy. We shouldn't store up our own personal basket of fish. We should try to share. Individual generosity can make a huge difference.