When Giving Gets Tough

Why is it so important to think about where your donations go? Especially when the economy is struggling? The answer is simple: Need goes up, while what we have to give decreases.

According to the Philanthropic Giving Index (PGI), giving in America is down 6% since the summer of 2008. Yet homelessness, domestic violence and hunger are up. Reuters reports a 12% increase in homelessness and the National Domestic Abuse Hotline has seen a 21% increase in calls since this time last year. Nationwide, more people are coming to food banks. Demand for emergency food assistance rose by 30%, according to Feeding America, a national hunger relief charity.

The good news is that while we may reduce the amount we give, we are unlikely as a society to stop giving completely, based on a study by the Center for Philanthropy Panel. Thinking about what is important to us is the key in identifying where to donate when we can. Eight in 10 Americans donate in one way or another according to a USA Today/Gallup poll. And figures show that charitable giving accounts for 2% of our gross domestic product - higher than any other country in the world.


My parents were both social service workers, and I grew up with a very real awareness of many struggles that families faced. As an adult, my personal giving plan has direct ties to the experiences I witnessed. I have strong connections with organizations like the YWCA and the local community foundation, Blue Mountain Community Foundation. And while I'm not in a position to give monetarily right now, I'm happy to be able to donate my time and professional services as a designer and writer (which reminds me that I need to finish that newsletter).

The point is that every little bit helps. And during a tough economic time, identifying who, where and how you can give is even more important. That's why I created DonateWise.com - to help people identify what is important to them and help them to be proactive. When giving gets tough, it is even more important. For more information, visit DonateWise.com - I'd love to welcome you to the community!

Why the SendOutCards connection?

Well, it's simple really.

I developed DonateWise.com to be a resource for businesses, nonprofits and individuals to help manage their giving. As my mom always said, "A big part art of giving or receiving is being grateful".

So early on I thought I should add a feature to DonateWise to allow Nonprofit members to be able to easily send thank-you cards to their donors and maintain relationships; to allow business to send postcards about new products, events and special offerings. When I heard about SendOutCards I thought, "Why reinvent the wheel?" SendOutCards prints and mails for its members (even gifts and gift cards), so it just made sense. I signed up as an "Entrepreneur" (my account can be found at http://www.sendoutcards.com/donatewise) to allow DonateWise members to have a free Gift Account. Members can always upgrade their own accounts if they want to, but if simply sending cards and gifts is what they need, it just makes sense to make that option available.

Personally, I've found that my SendOutCards account is a pretty handy business tool, as well as keeping me on my toes for important family happenings. I'm notoriously bad about remembering birthdays - I'll admit it and my siblings would agree. But with the SendOutCards reminder feature, I find that I'm much better about remembering special days throughout the year. Check it out at www.sendoutcards.com/donatewise. Or send me an email at kate@donatewise.com to learn more!

Here's how DonateWise.com works for you!

Introducing a new way to manage your donations

Getting lots of requests for donations? Manage them easily with a FREE account at DonateWise.com!

Basically, it works like this:
Step 1. A guy walks into a bar.
Step 2. Guy asks the bartender for a donation
Step 3. Bartender simply says, "We manage our giving through DonateWise.com"
Step 4. Guy goes to DonateWise.com, looks up the bar's account and views their giving profile, which is based on a patented 8-step process.
Step 5: Guy makes a request online; Bartender receives request notification via email
Step 6: Bartender logs into DonateWise.com, views all requests, makes his donations and easily tracks his giving for tax season.

No joke. It's that simple. Sign up today at DonateWise.com!