Land Conservation: Time to make your year end charitable gift

The survey results are in. Charitable giving is down, according to articles from The Chronical of Philanthropy, and Guidestar.

It's that time of year again, time to make that year end charitable gift. Last December at LandChoices I could barely keep up writing and mailing thank you letters to end of the year donors. In contrast, this December we have had less than ten donations (just 6 to be exact). This has forced me, along with I'm sure numerous other small, grassroots non-profit all volunteer organizations, to pay bills on credit cards and make personal loans to the organization.

Most charitable organizations don't receive any government funding, can't rely on grants, and rely strictly on individual private donations to do their good work. Most small, grassroots groups need your donations more than ever as they don't have a huge list of donors to tap when times get tough. (Case in point: LandChoices only has 87 members. I'm inspired by that often overused but very true quote from Margaret Mead: "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.")

Do you really need more "stuff" this year? Below are tips to help you find a charity, give a gift that will make you feel good, help save the lands you cherish, and land you a tax-deduction!

Find a charity you love; then make an end of the year investment in conservation
1. Think about what you are passionate about and what problem you want to help change. Use the search engine Google, and visit Guidestar, the on-line standard for nonprofit accountability, to help locate an organization that will be a good fit.
2. Talk to friends about the charities they support.
3. Visit websites of small local charities near you or in your state and research the good your investment will do.
4. Visit Traverse Magazine's Northern Michigan Giving Guide.
5. To spread your donation out over the year to make it more affordable for you, and to give the non-profit a steady stream of revenue they can count on, consider becoming a monthly donor.

Did this inspire you to give? I'd love to hear from you!

Kirt Manecke
LandChoices