Smart Giving: Pool Your Resources

Donating to charity is not just for the lucky segment of the population with enough money that they have a financial incentive to give it away. Every penny that you give makes a difference to the organization to which you give it. Nevertheless, you might wish you could give a larger gift than you can afford to your charity of choice. Guess what—others may be in exactly the same situation! Consider organizing a giving group: each member of the group gives what he or she can comfortably give. Total up the funds, and then, as a group, decide which charity or charities you would like to donate the amount. This arrangement could take other forms, too: you could decide you want to organize a group of people interested in giving to a specific organization, and then collect and total the gifts.