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Tithe your tax!©

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Contributed by: Erin Shaver on 5/7/2008

By Erin Shaver, JVA Consulting

As of the start of May, the first of millions of Americans will have received a little boost in their bank account in the form of an economic stimulus check, designed by the government to help boost the flagging economy with an extra helping of late spring consumer spending.

Regardless of whether you agree with the concept behind the $168 billion package--or whether you think it will work--one cannot deny that receiving between $300 -$1200 per family (plus $300 extra for every dependent) might still manage to give you a small and pleasant opportunity to think about what you want to do with the money.

For weeks, we've been reading in the media on the merits of whether you should save or you should spend. At JVA Consulting, we have come up with our own idea. If you're unsure of which route is best for you (and the country!), we really encourage you to consider donating at least a portion of your check to a favorite charity--or even better, perhaps a nonprofit that you have never had the money to give to before. J ust imagine: if of the 130 million people receiving checks, a third of us tithed our taxes (roughly 10% of the standard $600 rebate, or $60 a person) what kind of impact that could make!!!

After all, like retailers, nonprofits are slowly feeling the brunt of the economic slowdown, too. According to a new report in the Philanthropy Journal this month, revenue growth among nonprofits has slowed and donor numbers are on the decline. The Journal also identified that nonprofit fundraising growth has slowed in recent months, according to the annual State of Fundraising Survey by the Association of Fundraising Professionals. The economy was overwhelmingly cited as the top fundraising challenge for charities in 2007.

We asked a few of our local clients what a small donation might mean. For Clinica Tepeyac, a healthcare clinic serving uninsured Latinos, a small donation could help one more family or child who can't access affordable medical care.

"A small contribution often nets a big result for Clinica Tepeyac," explains development director Denise Delgado. "Whether it's a woman receiving a mammogram for the first time or a prenatal patient seeing her first ultrasound, each small contribution means that one more person in this community has a chance to be healthy."

For the Pikes Peak Gay and Lesbian Community Center, small contributions can make a huge impact in a different way. Says Ryan Acker, executive director: "A young man who faces taunts and harassment every day at school considers suicide as an option, until one day he sees a group of people standing on the steps of city hall with a message that says, 'It's okay to be you.'" The cost isn't high: "The sign: $0.69. The marker: $0.25."

Last week in our e-newsletter, we suggested everyone who could to consider giving a small, meaningful amount of their stimulus check to charity. So we asked our clients and friends in the nonprofit sector--what will you do with the money? While our survey results were not scientifically-based (i.e. just for edu-tainment purposes!) here are the results we found (respondents were allowed to choose more than one):

49% Pay down debt

33% Save it

28% Spend it

26% Give to charity

Similarly, we also asked local nonprofits if they had considered reaching out to their constituents about the economic stimulus package in any way, whether it be encouraging a charitable donation or advising them on wise spending.

22% said yes

78% said no

A few said they hadn't considered it yet, but by and large thought it was a good idea. So now we pose the question to you: Will you tithe your taxes?

To sign up for JVA's e-newsletter, visit www.jvaconsulting.com.

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CONTRIBUTOR INFORMATION

Erin Shaver

Edgewater , CO

Erin Shaver has posted 28 stories and 0 comments since joining on 9/19/2007. Erin Shaver 's average story rating is 5.

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