Thinking About Donating To Charity?... Don't Almost Give

The following commercials were produced by the Ad Council.

It's part of their "Don't Almost Give" campaign.

I know in my case, I always feel so guilty whenever I drive past a homeless person holding their sign and asking for food, money, or work.

Like many people, I struggle with the whole "What are they really going to do with the money?" issue. But in a way, that's not my business. If they clearly appear to be struggling more than I am for money at the moment, and I'm in a position to share, then I wish I'd give more money than I do. (It's quite rare in my case. But I have been known to take boxes snacks I got from Sam's Club to work and hand them out to the homeless people I drive past on any given day. That was when I worked in downtown Nashville.)

It's one of those "a little goes a long way" theories... That, and the fact that you feel so great when you can do something -- even something so seemingly small -- whether it's for someone who's in obvious need or not. Random acts of kindness are a great thing.

Anyway, these commercials helped me to have another "ah ha moment" and recharge my motivation to help when and where I can -- in general.

More about the "Don't Almost Give" campaign.