Tithing, Charity More than 10% of your AGI or combined incomes?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are retired so our income isn't what it use to be. In anticipation of that a few years ago when my husband had a good size stock payout we put a lot of it into a donor advised fund. Our strategy is pretty simple which is to each year donate about 80% of the prior years gains (not 100% because we need to cover a market decline) and since we set it up we have averaged over $100,000 a year in charitable contributions. About 70% goes to a handful of charities that mean a lot to us and the rest is generally $1,000 contributions to many charities. It was a very big decision to put that much into a DAF but it really insures we maintain a high level of giving even though our income is lower.

We have done this too and our adult children can use it for a modest level of giving. They too will inherit it for their gift giving unless we decide to do something very special one day.

[Anonymous]

I’m 30, most of my friends are regular churchgoers, and give 10% AGI to my church. My husband and I squeak by in this area but that’s something we have always prioritized and grew up in families who tithed.

[Anonymous]

We give to various organizations that we do prior research on and feel good about their use of funds as the majority if not 100% goes directly to helping their goals.

Organizations that help victims of sex and child trafficking, programs for women fleeing domestic violence, we give money directly to families new to the country that are in need, lots of food to food banks, donate books and school supplies to schools, organizations that have helped communities during this pandemic and that has helped communities during past hurricanes and floodings, etc.

I know exactly where my money goes with these places and know that it makes a tremendous impact for people in need.


I prefer this to just giving a large sum to church. Yes, the building is great but to me, community is more than church.

[Anonymous]

I'm 38. Starting tithing at 22.

[Anonymous]

I strive to tithe. I get to it most years.

Mainly to my local church, but some to orgs that feed local people and things like that.

For me, tithing is part of my belief system and I have found that if I tithe, God takes care of the rest-I've never regretted it or wished that it had been less.

[Anonymous]

I also meant to say, my church tithes on what it collects-so, 10% of offerings goes to outside places to help locally and internationally.

[Anonymous]

I am not in a cult, so no.

[Anonymous]

Our tax rate is close to 40% so we don’t do 10% on our total income but do 10% on after tax. I’m irritated with my church and don’t think they’d spend it well, so I give a few thousand a year to it but not more. We give a bunch to an international charity associated with my religion and then the rest to food bank, environmental group, legal justice funds, an arts organization for the disabled, and animal shelter (in roughly that order).

[Anonymous]

Since getting married we have always done 10% of our gross income to our church and then smaller amounts on top of that to any charities of our choosing. When we got married in 2014 we had a HHI of about $80,000 and had $60,000 in debt. We paid it all off in about 3 years. At the start of 2020 my husband moved from a salary to a stipend dropping our HHI to about $105,000. We had $50,000 in savings Jan. 1, 2020, several months worth of living expenses but cut out as much as we could from the budget but continued to tithe on our gross income. We also had our first kid in 2020. We dipped into savings a few times for major expenses (dog bite vet bill, new car down payment) but between saving stimulus checks and some other windfall sources, we managed to begin 2021 just $80 short of $50,000. We honestly just had faith we’d get through the year!

[Anonymous]

Not Christian. Agnostic. But I give 10% of AGI to various charitable causes. I believe in Karma. Those who are stingy or justify that they can’t afford to, well short term gain but long term loss.

[Anonymous]

No idea, but for years we've given cash and home items to a local man who needs help. Pre-pandemic, he sometimes used to drop off his laundry as well.

Otherwise we give to Doctors Without Borders.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've struggled with this a lot. I feel called, in a religious sense, to donate 10% to a combination of church and charity, but my family is poor and I have been blessed. So I choose to "count" contributions to my young relatives' college accounts and similar help as "charity." (To be clear, don't mean my own kids.) By that rule we easily clear 10%.

I think this counts if your family is poor but not if your family is rich. My brother and his wife are hourly wage workers and can't really afford to save for college, so I've been putting money in a 529 for their kids, and obviously we don't write it off but it is "giving." But if they were rich doctors, and I was their millionaire grandparent who was funding college accounts for their kids as a way to avoid inheritance taxes, then it would seem a little ridiculous to call that "charity."

[Anonymous]

We are not religious. We give to our college (both went to same one) and random charities for friend’s birthdays, marathons, kids public schools, etc.

But it’s probably not more than $2k year. HHI is $250k. By the time we pay the mortgage and save for college and retirement, there is not $25k leftover to give 10%.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't give to charity. Taking care of my household and child is my first and highest priority.

If I didn't have a mortgage and I had retirement and college handled, I would be more charitable.

This. Focus right now is making sure kids get the best possible education, etc. 20% of our net worth will go to charity IF my kids are all set in life by the time we depart AND money is not needed for late-in-life care. If they turn out extraordinarily well, it could be a larger % if not, it goes to them. Not donating to some random org. where most of the money goes to line executive pockets and mailers asking for more. Educating kids so they can control how this money will be spent and who benefits (without regard to charitable contribution deductions).

Our giving right now is not a specific amount but random and one-offs. Paying for someone's education shortfall, alms, family members in need, etc. No religious contributions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am not in a cult, so no.

neither am I but I still give 5% of my gross income to causes and charities.