Don’t be a Holiday Hurry-er this Giving Season

Most of December is a wash for me. Between work deadlines, holiday parties, and last minute shopping, the urgency of the holiday hubbub can crowd out some of the things that really matter. Things like charitable giving can easily resemble my holiday shopping—last minute and harried. 

But it can be joyful and un-planned ahead!

I’ll give you two tips to not be a holiday hurry-er—for your personal gift giving and for the charitable kind. The top line: Build as you go.

Hack Your Gift Giving 

When I’m out and about throughout the year, I buy cool things I find. My rule: the gift needs to be the absolute perfect gift for one person or it needs to be something I think at least two people in my life would enjoy. This way, when Christmas comes around, I have a stash to pull from and just about everyone is accounted for – sometimes even next year’s birthday as well. 

For this reason I call it un-planned ahead. 

I don’t make a plan to buy the things I do. I simply take 10-15 minutes when I’m out, especially on work trips or vacations to new locations, to look and see if anything interesting catches my eye. I make a plan to be curious and devote a few minutes to my search and that’s about it. There’s no scheduling of time or running out to specifically hunt something down. 

Hack Your Charitable Giving

In the same way, as you hear about intriguing charities or projects throughout the year, stash them away. You can do this by saving a brochure or email you receive or by making a note in your phone about it. Whatever your preference, make sure all of this info is stored in the same place so you aren’t tracking down paper items and virtual ones. The idea is to make life simple here, not more complicated!

In both cases, you may still need to do some research on nonprofits come year’s end or run out for a little extra something for someone on your list. However, it won’t be this mad dash to 20 different stores or an afternoon spent punching credit card numbers into websites during the days leading up to the holiday. You will be on track to give the gifts you want to, with half the effort. 

The Super Giving Hack

While I stand behind my above tips, I can do you one better – consider a donor-advised fund (DAF). My DAF operates as my “stash” of charitable capital and charitable opportunities. 

With my donor-advised fund, I set up easy automated recurring contributions into the fund throughout the year, so come December, I’ve got a nice charitable pot built up. It saves me from scrambling to reconcile my gift budget with my giving budget and other expenses. Did I mention the funds are also invested so they are growing quietly in the background for me too?! 

In the same way that I schedule contributions, I also schedule grants ahead of time. The fall – December season is my busiest time, so I enjoy being able to not only have gifts like my church tithe on autopilot, but also any holiday giving I want to do. And if you wouldn’t want to schedule grants ahead like me, the un-planned ahead-ness of the automated contributions will ease the stress and free up a good chunk of time. That time can be spent evaluating nonprofits and deciding where those year-end gifts will go. 

The Super Ultimate Giving Hack

Not all donor-advised funds are the same. 

If you’re reading the America’s Future blog, you likely believe in the ideas of liberty. I know just the DAF provider for you, one who not only understands your beliefs, but shares them – Novus Society. Not only am I a member, but I run it as well. The Novus Society at DonorsTrust we grow, connect, and mentor under-40 philanthropists in their freedom-oriented giving pursuits – and we have a bit of fun while doing it. I’d love to welcome you in as a fellow member, and help you achieve stress-free charitable giving. 

I can’t be your personal shopper, but I can be your charitable giving partner.