3% - Sunday, December 19, 1993 — North Shore News

Temper giving with smart budgeting

QUESTION: I am an elderly per-
son living on my own, and like
most people my age, | am on #
fixed income. I like to make smal!
donations to charity, but I find
the requests around this time of
year just overwhelming. Some of
these .charities are familiar to me
and sound very worthwhile, but
others I’ve never heard of.

is there any way of checking
them out? I read something in the
paper about scams through tele-
phone sales, so now ['m afraid te
agree to anything. How does a
person in my position deal with all
of this?

Answer: The Christmas season
does seem to be an especially pop-
ular time to ask for money. As
many non-profit organizations are
finding it increasingly difficult to
get enough funding, this is one
way in which they are coping.

Most people find ‘the calls and
requests difficult to deal with, and
as someone with limited finances,

' you might understandably find the ;

demands particularly hard.

Remember that you are under
no obligation whatsoever to make
a donation to anyone who appeals
to you. Unfortunately, there are
some people seeking donations
whe will exploit the goodwill of
someone like yourself:

Practise saying ‘‘No,’’ and if

that is difficult for you, try play-
ing a script with a friend, having
your friend play the part of the
telephone solicitor.
_ This may sound strange to you,
but it can be a very helpful way of
learning to say something we find
difficult. Most callers will respond
to.a- simple statement like, ‘‘No
‘thank you, I am not interested or
able to give at this time.”’

Many ‘of us have a hard time
turning. down -a request for our

help, even if it is in our best in- ’

terest to do’so. If you are inter-
ested:in learning more about the
Skill of. assertiveness, you could

|HELP'S
AT HAND

call our office for a list of places
that offer courses and workshops.

It is best not to let any strangers
seeking donations into your home,
regardless of how convincing or
harmless they seem.

Since you would like to make
some donations, we would suggest
that you have a plan for doing so.
For example, decide on a realistic
amount that you can give per year
and then don’t exceed your charity
budget.

Committing to donations over
the telephone or to someone who
comes to your door can be a form
of iinpulse spending; it does not
give. you the time to really con-
sider whether it is a good idea.

Also, it will be easier for you to
be assertive if you have made a
decision about your charitable
giving before the calis come in.

We realize that some
telemarketers can be pushy. If the
caller persists after you have said
no, ask for his or her name and
the full name of the organization
s/he represents. This should let
the caller know you are scrious.

If may be helpful to choose one ,

or two causes for your annual
contributions or give to a charity
like the United Way, which then
distributes your donation among
its member charities.

You can do a number of. things
to check out the charities you
haven't heard of. Try calling the
Better Business Bureau at 682-
2711 and Revenue Canada at
689-5411 or toll-free at 1-800-
267-2384,

The Better Business Bureau
provides information on how long
the charity has been in operation,
its objectives .and activities, and
amounts spent on charitable ac-
tivities. :

don't miss out!

If the organization you donate
to is a registered charity, meaning
that it has a charitable tax
number, you will be able to claim
the donation as a deduction on
your income tax.

In order to do this, make sure
that you get an official receipt and
file it away until tax time. The tax
receipts can be collected and
claimed for up to five years from
the date of a donation, so if your
single donations are not substan-
tial enough to mean much as a
deduction in one year, they can be
accumulated over time until they
do.

Also keep in mind that there are
many other ways to give to your
community. Helping a neighbor,
volunteering some time to a
charitable organization, and sim-
ply making friendly gestures to
others are all valid, though often
unrecognized, means of giving.

If you are interested in volun-
teering some of your time, you
can also call our office for more
information or read the Options
for Volunteers column in the
North Shore News.

If you want to stop receiving
direct mail, you can write:to the
Canada Direct Mailing Associa-
tion, Mail Preference, No. 1-607
Concord Gate, Don Mills, Ontario
M3C 3M6. We understand that it
is necessary to do this every two
years.

Help’s at Hand, by North Shore
Community Services (NSCS), is a
forum for discussing government
policies and programs, benefits,
consumer and legal rights, taxa-
tion and public services. Answers
are intended only as a general
guide and should not be applied to
individual cases without further
consultation, This column is
prepared with financial assistance
from the Notary Foundation. For
more information call NSCS at
985-7138.

 t 2,99:
reread
Hear

North Vancouver Suzuki is
pleased to announce the appointment of
Cody Zdebiak as New & Used Car-Sales.
Manager. Cody brings over 13 years of ser-
vice excellence to the dealership and looks
forward to exceeding our expectations.
Nori Vancouver Suzuki _
1695 Marine Dr., at Tatiow

ICBC Holiday Hours:

ICBC business offices will be ,
closed December 24th through the 27th.
However, you can still report a new
claim to ICBC Dial-A-Claim December
27th through the 31st.

Please cal! $20-8222 between 8:15 am
and 4:00 pm on the 27th or between”
7:30 am and 6:00 pm on regular
business days.

Have a safe & happy holiday season! he

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@ British Columbia)

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Pager: 650-4750

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