Allocation v. Accumulation

It's almost December, the time of year I think about giving, and in particular, giving to charities. How much do I give in such a terrible year with what looks like another one on the way?

After putting it down for three months, I've picked up "The Soul of Money" again. It's by Lynn Twist who is an activist and fundraiser for The Hunger Project. She challenges contributors "to be known for what you allocate, not what you accumulate."

She's right. I know she is, because I've just deleted about ten excuses that I wrote trying to refute her statement.

No doubt it's been a tough year, and my accumulated money has taken a beating in the market. Even so, I'll allocate money to good charities like I do every year. If I really feel like I can't afford allocating money, I'll allocate some of my time to make up for the shortfall.