Friday, September 20, 2013

So many causes, so little time

I am delighted to be featured in this week's edition of the Washington Jewish Week, as part of their annual Charitable Giving Guide.

The article in which I am interviewed, To which causes to give - and how much, focuses on ways to make choices about your charitable giving when lots of people are asking (for example, "Hey, I'm doing the breast cancer walk"... "Lauren, can you come to this casino night to benefit my kids' school?"... "Hey Lauren, I'm shaving my head to support children's cancer research). And yes, that last one is a real world example.


In a nutshell, I think it's all about narrowing down to a few priorities each year - I suggest three - and making sure that those priorities remain at the top of your giving list. You can still give to something that's outside of your priority areas, but you can set a lower amount to give to those causes. Then you can say to your friend who is shaving his head, "Wow, that's amazing! I'm happy to support your efforts. Your causes isn't one of my top three causes for this year, so it won't be one of my top contributions, but I want to be a part of what your doing and help those kids. So please accept my contribution, and thanks for including me in this!"

Read more HERE.