Donating anonymously moral dilemma

[RandomAlias]

Eg as I mentioned above I tried to “deceive” people by making it look as if I’m donating coins but in fact I’m donating notes. Is that bad?

When I was much younger, I used to fold bills into a tiny packet for the scriptural reason you gave in the original post, but I don’t go to that extreme any more. I think it makes more work for the office staff when they count the money. If it makes you feel more comfortable, you could just fold it in half or quarter so that your hand covers it as you drop it in the basket.

I would urge you to worry less about what other people think of your donations. When you try to deceive them about your donations, I think that may be going too far. Try to focus your mind on the good that your donation accomplishes, and not on the social complexities surrounding money.

 

[ratio1]

This I agree. Even though I like to remain anonymous, I don’t think I would be upset if it failed accidentally. I would be embarrassed for a while but life moves on as you said.

So I guess being anonymous is just my preference.

 

[JoeFreedom]

I know with at least one of the charities I regularly donate to, I can choose to donate anonymously, but for me, if I do, I would not be able to claim that on my taxes. And why oh why should I allow the government to claim a larger stake to my income and take more money from me to use as they see fit (which is generally wasteful) when I am so much better at using the money than they are?

There have been times when I’ve donated anonymously. Clearly bragging about how much or how many times you donate is clearly against the spirit of donating, but if people see you, I don’t see this as a problem. If you are intentionally trying to attract attention to yourself, then time to look internally and donate without people watching. But often when I go volunteer at a local food packing charity, I will put change in the jar they have. I don’t specifically go around and say “Look at me! I’m donating!” But I’m sure there are people that saw, but who cares? I’m not donating for the attention, I’m donating so people who have less than me can have more.

What about the collection baskets come around at mass? Are we supposed to not put anything in the basket simply because others are watching? That’s absurd! Just don’t go around waving a handful of cash before putting it in the basket…

 

[JoeFreedom]

Too funny! I have thought the same thing. I like to manage my finances differently than most, as I put in one large check every month, so three or four times a month, I put nothing in the collection basket, and I wonder if people think I donate very little, but I remember that it really honestly doesn’t matter. What I donate, and what they donate, is between me and God, and what they think about me is 1) untrue, and 2) doesn’t really matter!

I know from my parish’s statistics, that the old adage of the 80/20 rule applies, whereas 80% of our parish actually donates very little to zero all year, and the other 20% donate 80% of all the churches finances.

 

[MchaelPatrick]

I’ve always wondered what the good thing to do is when donating? Should one donate anonymously or advertise the fact you are donating?

Try both. Before you donate, tell the priest that you will match any donation up to X dollars and you want to stay anonymous. Then give X dollars regardless of the outcome. You get to advertise and stay anonymous.

 

[JamalChristophr]

I would ALWAYS donate anonymously.

…Unless I wanted a building named after me, but I’ve never been much into that. Seems kind of stupid to me. But that’s just my lame opinion.

 

[DaveBj]

My donations are between myself, God, and the taxman.

My donations are semi-public, because our finances are such that we part of what I am donating comes from the reduction in my taxes brought about by itemizing deductions. So I write checks and use the envelops, so somebody in the church office knows, and the IRS eventually knows.

I would love to be making the kind of money where I could not care about how much I was paying in taxes, and could donate anonymously, but that is not our situation at the moment.

D

 

[Crocus]

Please don’t fold your note into a small piece … think of the person who has to stretch out and hand press all the origami before counting … just put it in the basket, no more than a half fold. :hugs: Thank you. Your gift means a lot.

 

[angell1]

just to add to this, it is possible to just share the link to the charity and explain what they do and ask people to donate.

it’s not necessary to include “I donated $500 to them” or whatever the amount is

 

[ratio1]

We use plastic notes here so it releases when it goes into the basket so it’s not scrunched up. No issue there. I can still hide it in my hand.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

it’s not necessary to include “I donated $500 to them” or whatever the amount is

I don’t tell amounts when I share. I say “I donated to them and maybe you want to also”.
My friends and I aren’t the type who give a hang how much somebody donated anyway. We’re all over the economic spectrum and not trying to play “keep up with the Joneses” with each other. Plus a lot of these causes that I would share are things like gofundme’s for someone who is sick or deceased with no insurance, and the amount that people donate is often motivated not only by their finances but also by how well they knew or relate to the person and whether they’ll also be donating through some other channel like going in person to a benefit, etc.

There are some fundraising platforms that will show your donation amount unless you choose to be completely anonymous, but overall, the bottom line is I just don’t worry much about this. I know in my heart I’m not donating in order to show off or get attention, I donate because I truly want to help.

 

[GusMcCrae]

To me the old widow was more inspiring because she gave all she had. It’s not the amount, it’s the charity in the heart to help. Sure rich people can inspire people to donate too, but even with large donations, they most likely still live in a big houses, drive nice cars, etc. I do not think it has as a big of an impact because most people will say, they can afford it. When ordinary people donate, even small sums, it can inspire other ordinary people to donate. Because people will say, if they can afford it, so can I. The trick is making sure it comes from the heart, including making it public to inspire others. If one donates for recognition, it’s not charity it’s self-serving.

 

[Reuben_J]

I think that is really beautiful. You are maximizing where your money is going to, which include donation to a specific cause.