Donation levels by HHI

[Anonymous]

Many-many years ago I was an international student who needed help/guidance after being put out on the street by my sponsor after refusing to marry him. Call me naive but I did not see such request coming at all from a 50 year old. Men didn't behave like that back at home.
I don't remember how, but I was directed to some international student center in Adams Morgan near the corner of Florida Avenue and 18th street. They had no idea how to help or guide me. The most they did was watching my bags while I had few hours to figure out where to sleep at night having no money. I had better chances of being helped after knocking on someone's door, anyone's.
Before I got on my feet, I was used, abused, beaten, and raped.
I went on to help many girls in similar situations to get a job and a place to live. Few of them also needed monetary help.
I'm sure plenty of people get help from non-profits, but I wasn't so lucky. I'm all for direct help after such experience. Seemed like they had never met a person in need of help before. They had a few list with few rooms for rent and that list was all stale.
Now looking back, all I needed was one month's rent money which was about $200 for a room or even weekly rent paid. This would have allowed me to be safe, get a job, and escape my abuser.

[Anonymous]

When you look at 990s, consider the skills of the employees listed before you criticize their compensation. Many people who are higher ups at nonprofits do not have family wealth that enables them to accept a below-market salary.

[Anonymous]

Our HHI is $450k. We only donate ~$1,500. I don’t really feel guilty about it but do sometimes think about giving more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't totally disagree with you . . . but my time IS worth something. And I feel like I'm making a bigger difference in the world by being a girl scout leader than by donating 10k to the ACLU.

I do think tithing to a church is bananas.

Being a Girl Scout leader is a lot more work/time than being a volunteer parent manager for a travel soccer team or helping out with other kids' sports, so sure, your time in this case is probably more significant a donation than mine is!

[Anonymous]

HHI of $210k and we donated $5k last year divided between church, charities and school fundraisers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't totally disagree with you . . . but my time IS worth something. And I feel like I'm making a bigger difference in the world by being a girl scout leader than by donating 10k to the ACLU.

I do think tithing to a church is bananas.

Being a Girl Scout leader is a lot more work/time than being a volunteer parent manager for a travel soccer team or helping out with other kids' sports, so sure, your time in this case is probably more significant a donation than mine is!

Also it’s not an either or, that you give only time or money. Give both if you can. But if you can give one, it’s better than nothing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:HHI: $450K
Annual Donation(s): $8k - $9k

We’re very similar to you. Company match doubles impact for the charities though, which is nice.

[Anonymous]

What a bunch of stingy cheapskates. And so many with excuses why they aren’t charitable people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our HHI is $450k. We only donate ~$1,500. I don’t really feel guilty about it but do sometimes think about giving more.

I hope you’re as shameless as you are cheap because normal people would be embarrassed to show themselves to be that much of a tightwad to the accountant.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Poorer people are often more generous than rich people.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/the-helpful-brain/202206/are-poorer-people-more-generous

Remember the story of Oseola McCarthy?

In a profile, The New York Times wrote, “Oseola McCarty spent a lifetime making other people look nice. Day after day, for most of her 87 years, she took in bundles of dirty clothes and made them clean and neat for parties she never attended, weddings to which she was never invited, graduations she never saw. She had quit school in the sixth grade to go to work, never married, never had children and never learned to drive because there was never any place in particular she wanted to go. All she ever had was the work, which she saw as a blessing. …

“She spent almost nothing, living in her old family home, cutting the toes out of shoes if they did not fit right and binding her ragged Bible with Scotch tape to keep Corinthians from falling out. Over the decades, her pay — mostly dollar bills and change — grew to more than $150,000.” In 1995, McCarty contributed her savings so that Black students at the University of Southern Mississippi could receive something she never did — an education.

Thanks for sharing this story! Very inspiring.

I am genuinely surprised by the posters with high incomes claiming they donate nothing or very little with "no guilt."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our HHI is $450k. We only donate ~$1,500. I don’t really feel guilty about it but do sometimes think about giving more.

I hope you’re as shameless as you are cheap because normal people would be embarrassed to show themselves to be that much of a tightwad to the accountant.

DP here and we definitely do our own taxes - paying someone would be a waste of money. I feel no shame at all. We are good people, we pay fair wages to contractors, we don’t speed (much), we pay our taxes, we are neighborly, drive more than our share of carpools, host lots of family and friend meals, etc. We also won’t be a burden to our kids or the government in old age, due to our savings.

It isn’t my job to save the world.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Poorer people are often more generous than rich people.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/the-helpful-brain/202206/are-poorer-people-more-generous

Remember the story of Oseola McCarthy?

In a profile, The New York Times wrote, “Oseola McCarty spent a lifetime making other people look nice. Day after day, for most of her 87 years, she took in bundles of dirty clothes and made them clean and neat for parties she never attended, weddings to which she was never invited, graduations she never saw. She had quit school in the sixth grade to go to work, never married, never had children and never learned to drive because there was never any place in particular she wanted to go. All she ever had was the work, which she saw as a blessing. …

“She spent almost nothing, living in her old family home, cutting the toes out of shoes if they did not fit right and binding her ragged Bible with Scotch tape to keep Corinthians from falling out. Over the decades, her pay — mostly dollar bills and change — grew to more than $150,000.” In 1995, McCarty contributed her savings so that Black students at the University of Southern Mississippi could receive something she never did — an education.

Thanks for sharing this story! Very inspiring.

I am genuinely surprised by the posters with high incomes claiming they donate nothing or very little with "no guilt."

I'm a "no guilt" person. Honestly, it doesn't even occur to me to feel guilty about not giving my money away? I was raised to be a functioning and contributing member of society. Volunteer, obey laws, work hard, pay taxes, return library books - I would feel guilty if I wasn't doing those things. And of course we donate here and there to fundraisers. I totally accept it's all in how we were raised and I actually find this discussion really interesting. Honestly, I can't imagine prioritizing giving 5-10% of my income away to charities or a church over, say, saving for my retirement or kids' futures. It feels like a totally different mindset.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our HHI is $450k. We only donate ~$1,500. I don’t really feel guilty about it but do sometimes think about giving more.

I hope you’re as shameless as you are cheap because normal people would be embarrassed to show themselves to be that much of a tightwad to the accountant.

Do people actually care what their accountant thinks? I am a financial advisor and I see people with 20M + donating $5k a year and people with a few million donating $30k + a year. To each their own. In my experience, outside of the large outliers, lower net worth people donate a far greater percentage of their money.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Poorer people are often more generous than rich people.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/the-helpful-brain/202206/are-poorer-people-more-generous

Remember the story of Oseola McCarthy?

In a profile, The New York Times wrote, “Oseola McCarty spent a lifetime making other people look nice. Day after day, for most of her 87 years, she took in bundles of dirty clothes and made them clean and neat for parties she never attended, weddings to which she was never invited, graduations she never saw. She had quit school in the sixth grade to go to work, never married, never had children and never learned to drive because there was never any place in particular she wanted to go. All she ever had was the work, which she saw as a blessing. …

“She spent almost nothing, living in her old family home, cutting the toes out of shoes if they did not fit right and binding her ragged Bible with Scotch tape to keep Corinthians from falling out. Over the decades, her pay — mostly dollar bills and change — grew to more than $150,000.” In 1995, McCarty contributed her savings so that Black students at the University of Southern Mississippi could receive something she never did — an education.

Thanks for sharing this story! Very inspiring.

I am genuinely surprised by the posters with high incomes claiming they donate nothing or very little with "no guilt."

I'm a "no guilt" person. Honestly, it doesn't even occur to me to feel guilty about not giving my money away? I was raised to be a functioning and contributing member of society. Volunteer, obey laws, work hard, pay taxes, return library books - I would feel guilty if I wasn't doing those things. And of course we donate here and there to fundraisers. I totally accept it's all in how we were raised and I actually find this discussion really interesting. Honestly, I can't imagine prioritizing giving 5-10% of my income away to charities or a church over, say, saving for my retirement or kids' futures. It feels like a totally different mindset.

Bingo

I donate to two select causes annually but as a percentage of our income it's not large (maybe 5-8k). Outside of that, my family is my priority..as it should be. My goal is to protect my kids...their wealth will do that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our HHI is $450k. We only donate ~$1,500. I don’t really feel guilty about it but do sometimes think about giving more.

I hope you’re as shameless as you are cheap because normal people would be embarrassed to show themselves to be that much of a tightwad to the accountant.

Hahaha. So you donate because you worry about what your accountant would think? Grow up.