Many of us will dig deep this Christmas season, writing checks, pushing coins into red buckets, and making online payments to charities before January 1. Americans are the most generous people in the world. Giving to charitable organizations in 2011 was recorded at more than $298 billion by Giving USA Foundation. That amount was up by 4% from what was given in 2010. That's a lotta dough. The outlook for 2013 isn't as bright, but the numbers aren't in yet. We love to give, but we're also suckers for a "feel good" experience. The TV commercials that make us cry and tug at our heartstrings may not be the best places to send our money. And definitely not the ones who send us "free" gifts in the mail to make us feel guilty. I encourage you to take a serious look at what your favorite charities are doing with your hard-earned dollars after they get your check. There are great resources to find out what's happening with your donation. Here are some h...
Positively encouraging