Americans are getting into the giving spirit. Of course, donations generally pick up as the holidays approach. About 40 percent of all donations are made in the last few weeks of the year, according to nonprofit rating site Charity Navigator. And 22 percent of American adults say they are giving more to charity in 2017 than they did last year, according to a recent Bankrate.com report. Only 12 percent said they are giving less. Altogether, charitable giving has increased year over year almost every year since 1976, Charity Navigator said. Last year, it reached a record $390 billion, and this year is on track to surpass even that. "The pool keeps getting bigger as more and more people get involved," said Rachel Hutchisson, chair of the Giving Institute, a trade association. "Generosity is increasing in America." Individuals alone gave $281.86 billion to charities last year, an increase of nearly 4 percent over 2015, according to the Giving Institute's Giving USA. The average gift was about $126.
All that dough can do a lot of good. But there are tricks to make the most of your contributions and save money at the same time: Give gifts that do good One way to save while increasing your charitable impact is to make a donation in lieu of exchanging gifts. Rather than spend money on each other, you can give money to a cause that's important to you, said Ellen Sirull, a senior manager of content at Experian Consumer Services. You can even adopt a family in need over the holidays and provide them with winter staples like coats, and toys and other gifts. Soldiers' Angels, Christmas Family Adoption Foundation and Families First are a few of the organizations that put such programs together.
Check into the charity Before giving a dime, look to see how a group stacks up at rating sites like CharityWatch.org, CharityNavigator.org or the Better Business Bureau's Wise Giving Alliance. Those sites assess criteria such as how transparent a nonprofit is about its finances and how much of its budget goes toward programs. In addition, don't click on a link or open an attachment in an emailed or texted charitable pitch, even if it appears to be genuine, Sirull said — and never wire money or send cash. Use a credit card instead, which offers more protection against scammers. Clean out your closet If you have gently used items, giving them to someone in need will help others without spending anything at all. For parents, it's an easy way to pass along toys or clothes that your children quickly got tired of or simply outgrew. Aside from coat and toy drives, libraries, hospitals and homeless shelters often accept donations in good condition. Alternatively, you can make an in-kind donation to families in your own community through local Facebook groups. In this case, you may not be able to claim the tax benefit, but, based on what you think is important, giving to others in your own backyard may be particularly rewarding, said Eileen Heisman, CEO of National Philanthropic Trust. Donate while shopping online As companies become increasingly socially conscious, there are more and more ways to shop and do good at the same time. For example, Amazon's AmazonSmile program donates 0.5 percent of the cash you spend to a charity you select. Toms supplies shoes, prescription glasses or clean drinking water for every pair of shoes you buy, while Target's Yoobi line helps provide classroom supplies. Another win-win: Browser add-ons like Gumdrop by Goodshop, which finds and applies coupons automatically at checkout, also funnel a portion of what you spend to your favorite cause for free. Reap the tax benefit Donors shouldn't underestimate the opportunity to maximize their tax savings . For starters, any charitable contribution is tax deductible up to 50 percent of your income. With the tax overhaul up in the air, Heisman suggests front-loading some gifts for next year, too.