Survey Results: How Much Do You Give?

Tis the season for shopping, as evidenced by solid reports of spending by consumers on Black Friday and Cyber Monday. But it's also the season for giving your time or your money. What if you have money but no time to volunteer? What if you have limited funds but have time on your hands? How can you get your kids in on the giving spirit? Everyone can find a way to give this season in one way or another. In fact, a survey of our very own Scarsdale folks (results below) showed that we are generally very generous in terms of volunteerism and dollars.

Albert Einstein said, "It is every man's obligation to put back into the world at least the equivalent of what he takes out of it." Giving Tuesday was developed through a partnership between the 92nd Street Y in Manhattan and the United Nations Foundation as a way to help people give to charitable organizations in myriad ways.

Here are some suggestions for how to integrate giving into your life:

I would like to donate money to good causes, but how do I find good causes?

Erik Waldman, a physician, donates money each year to brain cancer research at UCLA. His aunt died of a brain tumor five years ago. "I think it's important to give money for things that you can't conquer with your own skills," he said. "I can help fund the scientists that do the research to help find a cure for brain cancer even if I don't have the ability to find a cure myself."

I, personally, know that I can't volunteer to go to Nepal to build a school tomorrow, but I can donate to organizations sending people over tomorrow to do it. It can be intimidating to find an organization for your donation. Some experts recommend thinking about the basic needs people have, (food, water, health care, access to economic opportunity, shelter, and education), choose that which you feel is the most necessary for human survival, then research organizations that specialize in providing these services. Other experts suggest making a list of your interests and going from there; for example, theatre, museums, guide dogs for the blind, animal welfare or religion. There are sites like Charity Navigator and Great Nonprofits  that aim to help people wishing to donate money make a sound decision about to whom they send their contributions. Charity Navigator provides ratings for charities, publishes the CEO's salaries, and has helpful lists if you're confused about where to donate such as Top 10 Lists, Donor Advisories, and the highly recommended Ten Practices of Savvy Donors. It also lets you browse charities by category. Great Nonprofits allows donors to give their own ratings of charities.

I can't donate monetarily this year. How can I give in other ways?

There are ample volunteer opportunities in our communities. Emily Weston, a mom of two, donates many hours of her time as a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) and also volunteers for the Junior League of Central Westchester (JLCW). "I became a CASA to give me a balance in life and give back in some small way. Foster kids need someone to advocate for them," she said. "It's a broken system and often a CASA is the only constant in their lives. I don't forget for a day," she continued, "how privileged we are to live where we do and have what we have and I do my best to teach my children gratitude every day." She thinks that by volunteering, and by them seeing this, they are learning early on what it means to give back and are more likely to feel grateful for everything they have.

Lisa Copeland, a mother of three, began volunteering for Family Services of Westchester (FSW) a few years ago. She saw the need of vulnerable children in our area and wanted to do something about it. "It felt wrong to me that so many children right here in affluent Westchester lack basic necessities," she said. She learned that FSW provided essentials for kids right in our own backyard. ""FSW provides everything from warm winter clothing to transitional support for incarcerated mothers and protection from gun violence. I started out volunteering for 'The Sharing Shelf' that collects and distributes clothing to children. Last year I joined FSW's Board of Directors and I know that what I give in terms of time, money, and in-kind donations are making a real impact." Lisa also uses her own family as a baseline and as a reality check. "When I compare the amount I donate to what I spend on my own children's essentials and enrichment activities," she added, "I know that I'm barely scratching the surface of the need out there and I feel that it's my responsibility to help because I can."

Other ideas for volunteerism include JLCW, Scarsdale Women's Club, Kiwanis Club, Lions Club, Rotary Club, Meals on Wheels, places of worship, nursing homes, hospitals, soup kitchens, museums, theaters, or even abroad with international organizations. Donating blood or plasma on a regular basis is a great way to give back, as is joining a bone marrow transplant list. You can volunteer at an animal shelter or a zoo, or you can even offer to watch a friend's children for an afternoon if you can see she's having a bad day and could use the break.

How can I involve my kids in volunteerism or donating to those less fortunate?

Julie King, past president of JLCW, says that her family participates in Giving Tuesday, "...as a way to slow down and focus on what matters during the holiday season, hopefully teaching my children there is more to the holidays than Black Friday and Cyber Monday." As a Junior League member, Julie's kids have the opportunity to participate in volunteer opportunities such as Bronx River Cleanups and packing of donated candy for soup kitchens after Halloween. Many schools do toy drives, clothing drives, food drives, and winter coat drives. JLCW is currently doing a school supply drive as well as a diaper drive, and these items can be dropped off any time on the porch of Wayside Cottage. The faces of my own kids when they make donations are priceless. Your child can join the boy or girl scouts and do volunteer work through that. Younger children may enjoy coloring in coloring pages through Color a Smile. They send pages your children make to nursing home residents and military personnel overseas. Kids often love participating in beach and trail clean ups in the warmer months as well as 5k runs/walks for specific causes that matter to you or to them. Even something simple like dressing your child in purple for pancreatic cancer awareness day, helps them learn the art of empathy.

In our family, we reserve one of the kids' holiday gifts as a gift for someone else. We set the dollar amount, and the kids choose where they would like to send their donation based on their interests. When our son was one, he loved his footed pajamas so his donation went to the Pajama Program of Westchester that provides pajamas and books to kids living in group homes, temporary housing, and shelters . Our daughter loves books, so several years of her donations have gone to Room to Read, an organization that builds libraries and publishes books in local languages in order to provide education to children in developing countries who would otherwise never have an education.

Is Scarsdale generous?

Though only 49 people responded to the "Scarsdale Giving" survey on Scarsdale10583, here is what we learned: In dollar amounts, 39% (the majority) give between $1,000 and $5,000 annually; 20% give less than $500, 20% give more than $10,000, and 12% give between $5,000-$10,000. Whereas 80% of respondents said their annual donations are increasing, 20% said they are decreasing.

To whom does Scarsdale give?

Scarsdale folks are most likely to give to local service organizations (75%) and religious organizations (60%). Another 30% give to the arts or global organizations, and a mere 12.5% of respondents give to political organizations. 54% listed "other" as where they send donations.

Does Scarsdale volunteer?

Yes, Scarsdale volunteers! 29 out of 46 said they volunteer in the community whereas only 17 out of 46 said they don't. Of those that volunteer, 36% work 1-5 hours per month and 36% work 6-10 hours per month. Another 18% work 11-20 hours per month and an impressive 9% work between 21-50 hours.

How do you give back? And how do you feel you benefit from giving? Share your stories in the comments section below.