The holiday season is the time to focus on the year’s charitable giving. For many, helping those in need is one way to honor the spirit of Christmas. As a practical matter, the end of the tax year approaches. If you’re among the one out of four Americans who itemizes deductions on the federal income tax, December is your last chance to make a charitable contribution that you can deduct when you fill out your tax forms in April.
Whatever the reason for thinking about charity at this time of year, one ought to be thoughtful about the best way to give. In the 12th century, Moses Maimonides, the physician and rabbi who codified much of Jewish religious law in his Mishneh Torah, categorized various ways of giving, ranking them from the least to most meritorious. Much of what Maimonides wrote remains relevant today.
While all charity is good, Maimonides taught that giving begrudgingly is the least meritorious way to give. It is better to give cheerfully, even if you give less than you should. If you feel uneasy about a particular donation, find a different cause. A polite “no” to a request is OK.
Maimonides also tells us that there is more merit in giving before being asked than in responding to a request. When it comes to formal charities, it’s hard to give before being asked because we’re being asked all the time. Much charitable solicitation has fallen to the level of junk mail.
But there is still one way to give assistance without a solicitation. You can offer a friend or neighbor a personal hand without waiting to be asked. Perhaps helping out a neighbor doesn’t count as “charity.” It still counts as a good deed. And your neighbor might be a lot shyer than a big time charity about asking for help.
Second from the top of Maimonides’ list is charity in which neither donor nor recipient knows the other’s identity. Anonymous giving is easily arranged in the modern economy. When you contribute to a large charity, you don’t know the eventual recipients and they don’t know you.
However, Maimonides cautioned that giving anonymously places a special obligation on the donor to know that the charity is wisely administered. It makes one wonder whether there were there were scam artists even in the 12th century.
We know that there are scam artists out there today. Within weeks after Hurricane Katrina there were more than 2,300 Web sites appealing for funds. The FBI reported that most were phony.
Even among honest organizations, some spend most of the money they raise on those in need and some spend most of the money raising more money. You can find reports on many charities at the Better Business Bureau’s Web site, www.give.org.
Maimonides wrote that the greatest merit lies in helping someone become self-supporting so that they no longer need charity. This remains an ideal goal, and remains a difficult task as well.
You may or may not agree with everything Maimonides wrote. But his guidance is certainly a useful way to begin thinking about what form of charity works best for you.
Deciding which charitable cause resonates personally is an important element of the giving process. My wife favors international charities because that’s where the need is greatest. I tend more toward giving closer to home. We compromise and do some of both. We also put a high priority on organizations that help children and the hungry. And we’re very, very careful to give only to reputable organizations.
Part of what Maimonides wrote still applies without question: Even the least meritorious form of charity is a mitzvah – a good deed.
The most important point is not where or why you give. The greatest commandment is that you do.
Give.
Dick Startz is Castor Professor of Economics at the University of Washington. He can be reached at econcol@u.washington.edu.
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