Charitable Giving story (Continuing) New Options for Donating to Charities A True Story Submitted From An Anonymous South Carolinian I was raised in a small town in South Carolina of 2000 people and even half a century later, the population stills remains around 2000, although my father and uncle delivered over 10,000 babies during their joint careers. People there are close and they care deeply for each other. Thus, when my brother died from cancer a year ago, it was important that we carry out his wishes as best as possible. He stipulated no flowers, but no specific place for donations to be sent. So it was up to us to guess at what would have made him happy. We knew he loved animals and we knew that the local animal shelter, Paws and Claws, had been struggling for quite some time. So we designated them in lieu of flowers. We also knew that Hospice had purchased a lot for a building several years prior, but there were inadequate funds for construction, so we designated them also for contributions. And of course we left open options for any church or charity of choice. As you probably know, when you contribute to a charitable organization the recipient of the gift receives a card specifying that you made a gift, but the amount is not released. Your cancelled check then can be used for tax purposes for that year. Well to make a potentially long story short, Paws and Claws was overwhelmed with the generosity exhibited by the local community. And Hospice received enough money to begin construction immediately. There was such an outpouring of love. Does this boost in gifts show a growing interest in philanthropy? Frankly I don’t know, but I do know that it’s a win-win situation for everyone. | 
