10 reasons to give to charity
Giving to charity is a great way for you to give back to causes important to you, help out individuals and spend your disposable income to drive positive change in the world.
Charities rely a lot on individual donations and your money can go a long way in making a difference.
Pieta House has stated that 80% of their income comes from just donations alone – so you really can help.
Why should you give to charity?
Giving to charity can be a very personal thing.
Everybody can make different choices about donating to charity, and how you choose to donate will depend on many factors, including your income, lifestyle, and financial situation.
But giving what you can to charity is something that can really make a difference – no matter the amount.
We’ve outlined some of the best reasons to donate.
1. To support a cause with personal significance
Many people do not realise the important and invaluable work charities can do to help people, unless they’ve been touched by the cause themselves.
Witnessing how charities can help people during times of need can motivate people to donate to the organisations that were there during challenging moments.
You may also want to donate to a charity if the cause is meaningful to you and if it’s something you have first-hand experience of.
2. Giving makes you feel good
Giving and helping others can also make you feel good.
According Mental Health Ireland acts of giving and kindness can help improve mental wellbeing by creating positive feelings and increasing your confidence.
3. Giving back is personally important
Helping others, doing your bit to offer support, and giving back can also be personally important.
A study by CAF on giving back has looked at the reasons why people do it and how it can be beneficial.
Of those surveyed, 97% of people said they gave back because of their ‘personal values’.
96% said they did it because of their ‘own sense of morality and ethics’ and it was personally important to them.
4. To help those in need
You may not realise it, but your donation can go a very long way in helping those in need or causes important to you.
Even a small donation of €5 or €10 could go towards important research into fighting diseases, or could fund a care package for someone or lead to vital improvements to your community.
By donating to charity, you’re having a direct impact on the important work they do and you can be part of a working cause.
5. Because others are giving too
Seeing others donate to charity can also influence your own giving.
This is especially true if you see someone you know giving back.
Ireland is the most generous country according to GoFundMe’s latest giving report.
Since GoFundMe started operating in Ireland there have been almost 5 million donations to fundraisers on our platform. That is the equivalent to everyone in the country donating.
6. You believe your donation will make a difference
Another reason to give to charity is because you believe it will make a difference.
People are generally more likely to give to charity if they believe it will make a difference in the cause they’re supporting, Psychology Today says.
It puts forward that people are more likely to give to nonprofits that they trust will use their donated money to make a difference.
7. It’s important to your faith
Many people will also give to charity if it is important to their faith.
Zakat is one of the five pillars of Islam and is a significant part of the faith.
In accordance with Islamic law, Muslims donate a fixed portion of their income to community members in need. This can be donating a portion of their wealth to charities or community causes.
By following this pillar, it means a Muslim must deduct a certain amount of their wealth in order to support the Islamic community. This can usually be about 2.5% of an individual’s wealth.
Money can be put towards taking care of important holy places in an individual’s community, such as mosques.
Funds can also be used to give assistance or care to those in need who are impoverished.
8. To help address social inequity
Charitable giving can also be a way of addressing social inequality.
There are numerous charities out there that work within communities, schools or areas of social deprivation.
St Vincent DePaul, for example, helps millions of people in poverty across Ireland
9. You see the effort that goes into fundraising
Watching the effort going into fundraising can also be a reason to donate to charity.
Called the ‘Martyrdom Effect’, there is an idea that the mere prospect of being in pain can promote charitable giving.
This effect was demonstrated in a series of five experiments by Christopher Olivola at the University of Warwick and Eldar Shafir at Princeton University.
In the first experiment, respondents were asked how much they would pay to take part in one of two hypothetical charity events: a picnic fundraiser, or a five-mile run. Participants who chose the charity run intended to donate US$23.87 — almost twice as much as those who chose the picnic, who were willing to stump up US$13.88.
In a second experiment, the researchers replaced the hypothetical events with real money and real pain. Each participant was given $5 to divide between themselves and a donation to a public pool. But some participants were told their public donation would be doubled if they chose to place their hands in very cold water for one minute.
Participants who opted to endure the pain were willing to donate nearly 25% more of their $5 than those who chose to avoid the discomfort.
10. For tax relief
Donating to charity can also provide some tax relief.
Donations through employee payroll schemes, for example, are not subject to income tax and can be an attractive way of donating.
Donations to charity from individuals are tax free. You can get tax relief if you donate:
- through Gift Aid
- straight from your wages or pension, through Payroll Giving
Give to charity through GoFundMe
GoFundMe is the perfect place if you want to start donating to charity – or carry on your already generous efforts.
You can donate to fundraisers that already exist, donating to either individuals, charities or causes.
As well as this, you can create your own fundraiser to donate to your charity of choice.
Funds raised are delivered automatically to charity and 100% of Gift Aid goes to your charity of choice.