Weighing Ways To Give

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Philanthropy might be down in a squeezed economy, but it's far from out. People are spending more carefully while nonprofits raise the volume of their appeals. Tips for making charitable choices:

Find some meaning. Jeffrey Solomon, co-author of "The Art of Giving," encourages people to do some soul-searching before donating.

If you find a cause that speaks to you personally, "your philanthropy no longer becomes a discretionary expense," Solomon told IBD.

Instead, it becomes a priority.

Do your homework. Evaluating foundations? GuideStar.org, CharityNavigator.org and GreatNonprofits.org are good places to start.

Ask for results. When he's interested in a nonprofit, Solomon likes to pose this question: "How do you compare to others in your field?"

Sometimes the charity's executive will answer simply that no other organization stands up to his.

Solomon calls that response a warning flag.

"The minute I hear that, I have nothing further to say to that organization," he said. "In business, we expect there to be benchmarking."

Likewise, charities should compare their outcomes.

Prepare for volume. Katya Andresen, chief operating officer of online giving portal Network for Good, says a higher level of need will translate into louder, more urgent pleas from charitable organizations during this Christmas season.

"They will be asking more dramatically, and that's not theater," she said. "It's a very real strain that nonprofits are under."

Try new routes. Overall giving is down a reported 9% this year. "But here's what's really interesting," Andresen said. "Online giving is up."

The number of donations handled by Network for Good has risen 92% and the dollar value of those donations is up 43% compared with last year.

One reason is that up-and-coming donors are Web savvy, Andresen says, and expect the convenience of online transactions.

Gift-wrap it. Year-to-date sales of Network for Good's charity gift card, the Good Card, are up 60% this year. Andresen says gift givers like this option because the recipient gets to choose where those dollars will go.

Get into it. With pink packaging on its cereal, soup and other products throughout October, General Mills' (NYSE:GIS - News) Pink Together campaign for breast cancer awareness has grown into one of corporate America's most visible.

And most interactive.

In addition to giving $2 million to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation, the food giant promised $1 for every story, virtual flower or comment shared on the Pink Together Web site, up to a $25,000 total.

The public quickly topped that cap. "Our current total of more than 126,000 connections wildly exceeded my expectations," said Andrew Lainsbury, Pink Together's manager. "We're absolutely thrilled."

He says that benchmark shows people want to be involved.

"Emotional causes tend to really capture people's hearts and minds," Lainsbury said. "It's really about connecting."

Reap the benefits. However you do it, giving leads to returns on your investment.

"We all look for identity, meaning and community throughout our lives," Solomon said. "Getting involved in philanthropy is just a spectacular place to find all three."