Time to make that end-of-year donation

It's almost the end to another year. As I write this there is less than 48 hours to make a donation before the clock strikes 2016.

So why is it so important to make a donation before the end of the year?

Well, there are lots of good reasons to donate to Shepherds of Good Hope at any time of the year, but there is always an extra push at the end of the year. Here are some reasons why I'm encouraging everyone to make a donation before the end of the year.

1. We look after some of Ottawa's most vulnerable men and women and they need your help. Your donation is needed because it helps feed, shelter and clothe 1,600 men and women who come to Shepherds of Good Hope every day.

2. It supports supportive living. We run several supportive living homes. The people who live here suffer from mental and physical health issues. Many of them lived in the shelter before we were able to find them a more suitable place to call home. Without your support, many of these residents would end up back in the shelter or on the street.

3. When you make a donation, you're also helping feed and clothe people who live in poverty. We run a food and clothing program twice a week. It's there for people living in the shelter but it's also there for anyone living in the community who is struggling to get by.

4. Your donation supports our programs. Here's just one example. There is a myth that homeless people don't want to work. That's simply not true. That's why we have the Worker Program. It's for men and women who are working but still don't have the means to live on their own.

5. Taxes: Make a donation and you'll impact your taxes in a good way for 2015. We hope you donate because you want to help people, because it makes you feel good, but if the reason you donate is to save on taxes, there's nothing wrong with that.

6. Making a donation will lift your spirits and the spirits of others. Research has proven it makes us feel good to help others.

To make a donation, visit our donation page or call 613-789-8210, ext. 225.

Creating a new generation of donors

There are a lot of lessons we want to teach our children. As a mother, I hope I've taught the right ones to my son. When I look at his life, I think I have.

One of those lessons is the importance of helping others, being grateful for what you have today and not worrying about what you want tomorrow. Charity just doesn't happen, though. In a lot of cases, children are inspired to give, to help others or to volunteer because of the examples set by their parents. Those examples stay with them throughout their lives.

Last year, there was a survey of 1,100 donors. Ninety-four per cent said they strongly or somewhat agreed they are teaching their children about the need to give. Two-thirds of people said they had discussed charitable giving with their family at least twice in the last year. And finally, 78 per cent said the causes they support reflects input from other members of the family.

I am thrilled with how much support we get from the community. We could not do what we do every day without the generous support of people who donate. Every week families donate goods and money to help the men and women we care for. It's clear the work we do is important to you. So why not make sure your children also know how important Shepherds of Good Hope is to you? One day they'll teach their children the importance of charity, too.

It's heart-warming to read a lot of parents are doing just that. It's a sign the next generation will continue to give a helping hand to others. It's important there is a next generation of donors to ensure Ottawa's most in-need men and women get the support and care they need.

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If you would like to make a donation to Shepherds of Good Hope, please visit our donations page.

Plan on giving with planned giving

A lot of us have good intentions. We want to give to a charity and there are even certain times of the year when we do.

Quite often I'm asked: How can I help Shepherds of Good Hope? One of the easiest ways is to start a planned giving strategy. Thanks to technology, it's easier than ever to set up a monthly donation that helps us do our work. You can become a monthly donor by calling our donor relations department at 613-789-8210, Ext. 225 or you can go online and sign up to be a monthly donor.

But I don't want to leave you with the idea that this is just a pitch for your money. I want to talk about how planned giving is a great way to help us do our work. Let me give you an analogy. Your boss says he's going to pay you a certain salary. But you don't know when you're going to get it. You just know that by the end of the year, it will add up to a certain amount. He might give you the money every two weeks, which is what most of us are use to. He might give it all to you at the end of the year around Christmas, which is when a lot of organizations see an increase in the number of donations they receive. You probably prefer getting a predictable amount every two weeks.

I can't stress enough we appreciate any gift you can give. But if we can count on a regular gift from you that you have planned, it allows us to know with more certainty how much money we have every month to help the most-in-need men and women in Ottawa.

Planned giving has benefits for you, too. You know with certainty how much money you can give monthly. You know that every month you are making a difference in someone's life. You picked the amount to fit in with your budget. Planned giving isn't just for people who can give large gifts. I know one donor who gives us $20 every paycheque. That adds up to more than $500 a year! She tells me it's a lot easier to find $20 a paycheque than it is to find $500 once a year.

If you can give more, that's great. But you can see how much a little donation on a regular basis can add up to.

If you would like more information on all the services we provide, please come for a tour. Send us an email. Connect with us on Facebook. You can reach me at 613-789-8210, Ext. 247 or at asilverman@shepherdsofgoodhope.com. We would love the opportunity to show you the impact your planned giving has for the men and women who comes through our doors every day.