Donating

[Truly Exotic]

Good going, sanj.

We're actually in recovery from an investment disaster where we lost pretty much everything, which is why we're down to only 3%, but I do plan to increase our % as we rebuild.

But I find it hard to believe there's anybody who is on Somersoft who can't afford 1%. And if you're only on a modest income of, say, $50K, well, that's a $500 donation once a year, which is enough to make a difference. Or $40 a month to a worthy organisation.

I always respect anyone who can recover from an investement disaster where they loser everything,

Ive done it before, however, I dont know to be honest if I could handle starting from absolute bottom zero at my age, and experience in life. I reckon I simply wouldnt be able to handle it

 

[chindonly]

I work for a charity. All staff donate considerable extra effort and time, and many of us donate to an internal fund.

We also donate to several other external charities.

My aunt also runs (and has for 33 years) an orphanage in a poor part of India. It helps the dying and destitute. We also support this on a regular basis.

 

[Jen_PFR]

I donate both time and money to a range of causes. Some of these are ongoing (for example I sponsor a child, and have done for about a decade) and some are sporadic - for example, the local RSPCA put a call out about a year ago - they had had a very large number of animals brought to them from one property and needed assistance to house all of them. I also contribute to Medicin sans Frontieres, Oxfam, the Cambodian Children's Fund, and the Red Cross.

I also tend to be heavily involved in fundraising things at work - at the moment I'm a collector for the 5 Cent campaign (http://ygap.com.au/our-inputs/5cent/). Recently four guys from my office did the Oxfam 100kms walk. As part of their fundraising I donated money, but also contributed food to their fundraising morning teas.

I personally feel I am so lucky, and it makes so little difference to my life to donate some time and/or money, that I'm happy to do it. I've also discovered that as I've gotten older, I'm happy to be more actively involved compared to when I was younger. Not sure why, but it does give me a sense of satisfaction that I am actively participating in improving things for others.

 

[lizzie]

We donate a few thou each year towards education girls in third world countries because significant change usually comes from the female baseline ... and the Salvos seem to benefit from a lot of "bloody good stuff" donated by us, only because I'm to lazy to sell it online.

I consider that Salvo "stuff" my local charity donation.

 

[Jaggannath]

At least 2.5%, though I don't keep count. Annual charities are Legacy, Beyond Blue and Soldier On, and I also donate to a range of other charities as I see fit. These are usually 65 Roses, Variety, and a few other charities. Mostly these are animal or children charities, as I tend to identify with them.

I also donate blood.