Return To Programs Page      eClub One - Archive Articles List
 

We hope you enjoy the programs at eClub One

Reprinted By Permission - Copyright
Boulder Daily Camera
Enid Ablowitz

December 9, 2002
The Daily Camera

Transform the Season of Giving to a Culture of Giving
By Enid Ablowitz

Now that the holidays are here, articles on giving are abundant. Some tout year-end giving strategies. Some are cautionary, helping you to select responsible organizations that match your values. Some tug on consumer heartstrings and graphically portray the neediest. The “season of giving” is wonderful, yet it always saddens me when we fail to sustain the generosity and caring we display when we make year-end gifts.

The Community Foundation of Boulder County is doing something to try to change the season of giving to a culture of giving. Have you seen the yellow balls around town? The awareness campaign is an extraordinary effort to help sustain the holiday spirit year-round. Today begins the official “Culture of Giving Week,” declared by the mayors of Boulder, Louisville and Longmont. It is an initiative to increase visibility of Boulder County nonprofits, the impact of volunteering and the joys of giving---and its working. A special website has been created to assist people in learning how to give back to the community: www.cultureofgiving.org. There is a wealth of information and links to many other helpful sites.

While we’re talking about local giving, I have re-learned something important this year through reviewing grant applications as a member of the Boulder Rotary community service committee, through volunteering at Community Food Share, and through providing pro-bono consulting to several other local organizations. I have renewed appreciation for the role that the many non-profits play in our community and for the volunteers who serve on their boards and provide countless hours supporting their mission. Too often, we receive appeals that focus on the needs of the organizations asking for our support. But when we really understand the needs that these organizations meet, we are far more likely to respond and to give generously.

Here are several examples of well-run organizations meeting significant needs in our community:

· Children’s Alley is a sliding scale, emergency day-care facility run by the local YWCA (and your cash gift may be eligible for a Colorado Child Care Tax Credit in addition to your charitable deduction.) As for impact? The demand far exceeds the capacity and the Y is desperately attempting to raise the money for expansion.

· Special Transit Service provides mobility for people who might otherwise be housebound. Whether giving a ride to a person who is elderly or who has a disability, this community resource enables independence and improves quality of life. More than 1900 people took over 100,000 trips to meal sites, for medical or therapy appointments or recreational activities, and to other locations through the paratransit service. Nearly 30% of them were individuals with incomes of under $720 per month.

· We are a community that places a high value on education. So do the “dreamers” supported by the I Have a Dream Foundation of Boulder County. Through tutoring, encouraging parental involvement or developing special math and science programs, at-risk children are encouraged to stay in school and go on to college. Scholarships are their reward when they do.

· I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention CU, the place where peoples’ lives are changed. Learning opens the mind to our history and our future. At CU, students and faculty do research, tomorrow’s leaders emerge, and life is celebrated through art and music. Our university meets needs not only in our local community, but in communities around our state, around the region, and around the world.

The key to sustaining your giving is to connect with your values, not just once a year, but year-round. For the left brainers among you, if you do plan to make year-end gifts, if you file the long form, and if you want a charitable deduction, here are a few things to remember:

· Keep a log and discount the value of any used items you give to reflect their depreciated condition.

· If you make a cash gift or write a check for $250 or more, get a receipt from the charity.

· The date of the gift for tax purposes is the mail date, not the date the check was written. For credit card gifts, it’s the charge date, not when the bill is paid.

· Give appreciated stock to get both a charitable deduction and to avoid capital gains. If you transfer stock, delivery can be either when mailed, or when hand-delivered to the charity

· To be sure you preserve your charitable deductions, check with your tax advisor.

And finally, if you’re thinking that you don’t have much to give this year, here’s a sobering thought: there are over 20,000 people in Boulder County with an annual income below the federal poverty level of $21,665--- for a family of four. Now, dig a little deeper, but don’t give until it hurts. Give until it feels good.
 

You may contact Enid Ablowitz by email at enidablowitz@hotmail.com

Now that you have completed this program, you have these options

To do BOTH use the Critique E-mail first, then return and click on the Make-Up Request Form

The content of programs appearing on the eClub One Make-Up website are the opinions of the authors and may or may not be shared by members of Rotary eClub One. These programs are presented by Rotary eClub One for use by site visitors, just as any program that might be presented at a Rotary meeting anywhere in the world.

© 2007 eClub One District 5450
Solution Services Inc