It doesn’t matter what the cause is, I say no.

I believe in serving others. I believe in giving and sharing my time, talent, and treasures.

But when I’m checking out at a retail store and the cashier asks if I want to make a donation to something, I say no. Every time.

Sometimes the donation is pennies—they ask if I want to round up to the nearest dollar. Sometimes it’s more. But it doesn’t matter how much, my answer is the same: No.

Here’s why:

I don’t know where the money is really going.

Sure, the store signs say it’s to feed the hungry or help victims of the latest disaster, and it probably is. But I don’t know how they’re going to do that and who is actually going to receive the funds or whatever materials the funds purchase.

I prefer to choose the causes I support.

There are so many wonderful causes and agencies that do fabulous work, but I donate to ones that are personally meaningful to me, not one some corporate entity has decided to support.

I don’t know how long it’s going to take for the donation to be processed.

Assuming the retailer is collecting money that will be given to another organization, how long is it going to take for the donation to actually be made? I doubt that any retailer is processing those contributions on an individual basis, so when do they do it? Weekly? Monthly? When the amount collected reaches a certain threshold?

I may not know anything about the organization the retailer is supporting.

I would hope the retailer has done its due diligence and is supporting a charity that is effective and efficient, but unless I’ve done my own research, I don’t know that for sure. Before I give, I want to be sure my money will be well-spent.

I prefer to keep track of our contributions.

There was a time when we needed to track contributions to take the tax deduction, but we don’t do that anymore (we don’t itemize because we save more with the standard deduction). Even though there’s no tax benefit, I still like to know the details (who and how much) of our donations, and it’s difficult to keep track of them if they’re made spontaneously at the checkout counter.

Most of us want to help people in need and we don’t want to seem like we don’t care. When I say no at the checkout line, I’m not saying I don’t care, I’m saying that I really do care because I want to be sure my gift is having the maximum impact.

Jacquelyn Lynn
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