Participating in Giving Tuesday? Do your homework
Experts advise donors to think about when and to whom they donate
Almost six million Canadians are expected to participate in Giving Tuesday, the altruistic digestif for the overindulgent consumerism of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, by donating time and money.
The charitable day kick starts the key fundraising period for charities in Canada.
Kate Bahen, the managing director of Charity Intelligence, an organization that helps the public make informed choices on how to give, says it's crucial for donors take a second before reaching for their wallet.
"Everyone is going to have different areas of passion but whatever the cause that matters to you, please do your research before you give," Bahen said.
She says the two main issues are we aren't giving as much as we think we should be giving, and we're not giving to the charities that actually matter to us.
Marina Glogovac, the CEO of Canada Helps, an organization that works with Canada's charities, says it's a good idea to look at the charity's annual report before giving.
"I'm probably more strategic than most people and I like to think about where to give and who to give [it to] ... I like to look at the effectiveness of the charity," she said.
Monthly giving eases the stress
Glogovac says most charities raise almost half of their annual funds in the last month month and a half of the year.
This time period is especially important for the huge number of smaller charities who are heavily dependent on donors for their revenue stream, she notes. However it does make for a stressful time of year for those who depend on seasonal deluge.
She says one way to alleviate the uneven cash flow for smaller charities is for donors to set up a monthly donation.
"That helps charities so much because it truly just gives them a more predictable cash flow where they're not cash strapped in the middle of the summer," Glogovac said.