Charitable giving strategies

Charitable giving strategies are a great way to ensure your donations, and other philanthropic efforts will have the greatest impact for you and the charities you support, like St. Jude. 

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St. Jude patient Delta with her mom.

St. Jude Patient Delta with her Mom
 
 
St. Jude patient Han painting.

St. Jude Patient Han with his family
 

What are charitable giving strategies?

A charitable giving strategy is a plan to help you choose the charity or charities you want to support, decide the best way to do so -- such as donating money, your time or level of effort -- and how often you want to contribute. Think of it as a personal plan for your generosity.

 

 
 

How to create charitable giving strategies

When donating to charity, consider creating a strategy to maximize your impact and feel good about your contribution. This involves choosing which charities to support, determining your donation amount, and setting a frequency for giving. Here is our advice:

 
 
St. Jude patient Josie

St. Jude patient Josie
 

Decide your charitable giving budget and cadence

The first step is determining your giving budget and how often you’d like to give. Analyze your finances and decide how much you’d like to allocate to charitable giving. Whether you give once, monthly or annually, by planning your charitable giving, you can help you manage your budget throughout the year.

 

Choose which charities to support

The next step is figuring out which charities you’d like to support. Ask yourself questions such as what size and type of charity you’d like to donate to and how many organizations you want to support. This type of reflection will help build a charitable giving strategy that best aligns with your goals.

 
St. Jude patient Kaleb dances at St. Jude.

St. Jude patient Kaleb
 
 

How to choose which charities to give to

Choosing which organizations you’d like to support with your charitable giving can be a challenging, yet satisfying process. When determining where you’d like to spend your philanthropic dollars, ask yourself the following questions: 

What type of cause do you want to support?

Are you looking to support animal rights? Education? A children’s charity, like St. Jude? Deciding which type of cause you want to donate to can help you narrow down the specific charity or charities you support. 

What are the charity ratings?

When choosing a cause to support, consider charity ratings. For instance, St. Jude, an accredited charity with the Better Business Bureau, holds a four-star rating from Charity Navigator.

How does the charity use donations?

It’s important to understand where your donation goes and how it’s going to be used after you donate. At St. Jude, we’re proud that 82 cents of every dollar supports the treatment, research and future needs of St. Jude.

 
 
St. Jude patient Natalie

St. Jude patient Natalie
 

Charitable giving helps kids like Natalie

Natalie was referred to St. Jude after her doctors found stage IV neuroblastoma in both arms, both wrists, her pelvis, legs, spine, skull and bone marrow. Natalie’s recent scans indicate she needs still more treatment before she can be declared cancer free.

With your support, St. Jude can provide cutting-edge treatment at no cost to families, like Natalie's.

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Ways to boost your charitable giving impact

Looking to boost your already significant impact? Try adding these approaches to your charitable giving strategy. 

 
 
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Involve the whole family

Make charitable giving something the whole family can take part in. Not only can this be a fun family activity, but you’ll be able to teach your kids about philanthropy early on, so they can continue the practice as they grow into adults. 

 
 
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Fundraise

When you start or join a fundraiser, you get the opportunity to share your philanthropy with your family, friends and community, while raising money for a good cause. Plus, fundraising allows you to donate more than you’d be able to on your own. 

 
 
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Volunteer

Volunteering your time to a charitable cause is a great way to support and give to charity in a non-monetary way. At St. Jude, we offer volunteer opportunities on the hospital campus in Memphis and virtually where you live! 

 
 
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Share your experience

One of the best ways to enhance the benefits of your charitable giving is to share your experience with friends, family and those around you. This can offer inspiration for others to begin their giving journeys as well. 

 
 
 
 
St. Jude patient Diana holding a photo of herself in treatment.

St. Jude patient Diana
 

Why support St. Jude?

Support from our community of donors ensures families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food — so they can focus on helping their child live. Since opening our doors, St. Jude has helped push the overall survival rate from 20% in 1962 to 80% today. We won't stop until no child dies from cancer.

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