Skillful Charitable Giving Begins With a Plan

In a survey from the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University, donors reported giving about 24% of their total annual donations between Thanksgiving and the end of the year. Nonprofits know that, which is why most of them make multiple appeals in the fourth quarter.

Yet in charitable giving, rushing, acting off the cuff, or giving while you're distracted is rarely a good thing. It can result in making gifts to organizations you don't know much about, can create gifts that are too small or too large, and, in the worst case, can make you vulnerable to charitable fraud.