“I keep getting all of these beg letters and appeals from different charities. What can I do?”
Many Catholics run into the same dilemma. I congratulate those of you who have this problem since it is proof of your charity and giving. People who never give to the church or to private charities don’t have this problem. It is unfortunate but true that charities often sell or trade the names of their donors with other charities to raise more money. The fact that getting all these letters bothers you also tells me that you know perfectly well how important charity is both for those who receive it as well as we who give it. Jesus tells us we will be held accountable for what we do or do not do for those in need.
So here’s what you should keep in mind:
1. Every Catholic is expected to be charitable both and supporting the church as well as other worthy charities. The Old Testament standard is called tithing — giving God 10% of our gross income. Jesus says we should give until it hurts. This is called sacrificial giving. If you simply can’t give that much, give what you can knowing that that it is not the amount we give but the attitude we have been giving that it matters most to God
2. For those who can and do tithe or give more, a good rule of thumb is half to your parish and half to other reputable charities like those in our second collections.
3. A one time donations to a beg letter or charitable appeal is a complete waste of your time and money. When the movie Dances with Wolves was first released I made a donation to a school on a reservation out west. I received a letter a month for the two years or so asking for more. My money was used to try to get me to give more money!
4. My grandmother Ann Flood made a valiant effort to give to every appeal. She would have ended up in bankruptcy if weren’t able to convince her to support a few favorites generously while ignoring the rest.
5. What about the addresses labels, calendars, greeting cards, holy cards, and other trinkets? Feel free to use them, but never give them money. It only encourages them. The charities wouldn’t do it, if they lost money.
Trying to disprove the saying “You can’t take it with you,” a stingy old lawyer, diagnosed with a terminal illness, finally figured out how to take at least some of his fortune with him when he died. He instructed his wife to go to the bank and withdraw enough money to fill two pillowcases. He then told her to take the bags of money to the attic and leave them directly above his bed. When he passed away, he planned to reach out and grab the bags on his way to heaven. Several weeks after the funeral, his wife, up in the attic cleaning, came upon the two forgotten pillow cases stuffed with cash. “Oh, that old fool!” she exclaimed. “I knew I should have put the money in the basement.”