The giving season is here and that means you and/or your business might be contemplating contributing to a charity. According to an article on Life You Can Save giving to a charity offers 9 positive effects:
- Experience More Pleasure.
- Help Others in Need.
- Get a Tax Deduction.
- Bring More Meaning to Your Life.
- Promote Generosity in Your Children.
- Motivate Friends and Family.
- Realize that Every Little Bit Helps.
- Improve Personal Money Management.
- Give If You Can’t Volunteer.
December the month to give
Did you know with a third of all annual giving taking place in December and the U.S. ranking No. 4 overall in the 2018 World Giving Index, according to the website WalletHub.
If you are someone who would rather give than receive this is the time of year to follow suit.
Depending on where you reside there are some cities and states where giving is more than norm than not this time of year.
To help you see where your city ranks WalletHub recently released its report on 2018’s Most Charitable States to help donors decide whether to give time or money for maximum philanthropic impact.
To determine where the most generous Americans are inspiring others to be more selfless, WalletHub compared the 50 states based on 18 key indicators of charitable behavior. The data set ranges from volunteer rate to share of income donated to share of sheltered homeless.
Here is the ranking below:
Most Charitable States
1 Minnesota 11 Pennsylvania
2 Utah 12 Wyoming
3 New York 13 Ohio
4 Maryland 14 Maine
5 Connecticut 15 Colorado
6 Virginia 16 Illinois
7 Georgia 17 Oregon
8 Washington T-18 New Jersey
9 New Hampshire T-18 Oklahoma
10 Wisconsin 20 Kansas
Key findings
Vermont has the most charities per capita, 27.18, which is 4.7 times more than in Nevada, the state with the fewest at 5.83.
Utah has the highest volunteer rate, 39.29 percent, which is 2.1 times higher than in Florida, the state with the lowest at 18.31 percent.
Utah has the most volunteer hours per capita, 75.6, which is 3.7 times more than in Kentucky, the state with the fewest at 20.7.
Giving back and/or donating to a charity is a personal preference. If you feel it is right for you and/or your business and you want to donate to a local charity or even a national one it is your decision.
There are a variety of organizations and associations that you can make a donation to ranging from animal groups to your own neighborhood church.
You also don’t have to wait until the end of the year to donate as these organizations and institutions will accept a donation year-round.
You can find out more about where some of the more popular and highly rated charities are here. Keep in mind you will want to check out and make sure the association, institution, and/or organization is credible before you make a donation.
There are some scams out there so be careful and do your homework before you make a donation with your hard-earned money.
