Giving Requests

Q: It seems that we are being attacked by requests for donations to various charities. Honestly, the Girl Scouts are knocking on the door with their cookies. The Cancer Society is calling about clothing donations. Our church is having a canned food drive this week. And we got letters this week from at least five (5) different charities asking for me. I have to confess to feeling more than a bit overwhelmed by it all. Individually, these all seem like worthwhile things to donate money to. Other other hand, we just don't have enough money to make donations to them all. Even if I wanted to, I couldn't satisfy all of these requests. Help!

A: The problem here is clear. You're trying to make decisions based on circumstances. You listen to the people and their circumstance (or that of their particular charity). Then you look at your own circumstance to see whether you agree with their charity's mission and how much discretionary money you have on hand. Then you make the decision to give or not give.

So how should you make the decision? You should take each of the requests and pray over them. Many of us are experiencing "donor fatigue," where we become weary from all the requests. The truth is that there are more legitimate charities whose mission I agree with than I could ever support financially.

You take the matter - each time - and ask the Lord. "Father God, is this a charity that you want me to give money to? If so, how much and when?" You may talk to God about whether or not you agree with the charity's mission, how it pulls at your heart, etc. But ultimately, you just commit yourself to doing whatever it is He tells you. And don't be surprised if God tells you NOT to give to most of them.

Not all supposedly "good cause" charities are worthy of your donation. Some lie about their mission and accomplish little. Other times, they are trying to do something that they're not qualified to do. The thing is, even if they are a legitimate charity ordained by God Himself ... it doesn't mean their financial support has to come from you. Perhaps God has another way of supporting them that He hasn't revealed to you yet. Or perhaps God would like to see them go out of business (for whatever reason).

The point is we pray about everything, especially when it comes to money.