http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/22/business/donating-senior-discounts-to-charity.html 2014-11-21 19:02:57 Making It Easier for Retirees to Give to Charity The Boomerang Giving project offers giving opportunities nationwide with programs like the one that allows people to donate their senior discounts to charity. === THREE dollars can go a long way. Moviegoers 65 and older who bought tickets at the Bainbridge Cinemas or the Bainbridge Performing Arts center in Bainbridge Island, Wash., could pay full price for their ticket and have the $3 dollar senior discount redirected to a local charity that provides child care to low-income families. The program, called the Boomerang Giving project, raised $630 in a two-month trial this year. “It was a good start,” said David S. Harrison, who co-founded the group with his wife, Cindy, and five friends. Last week, the concept went national with the nonprofit’s official start, and a number of organizations around the country are already working on Boomerang Giving projects. “We think the idea of providing baby boomers and older Americans the chance to ‘give back’ through donating discounts will become commonplace,” said Mr. Harrison, 66, former director of the The intent of the charity is to encourage older people in a financial position to forgo discounts they receive on public transportation, movies, restaurants and other outlets to invest in their community by donating, or redirecting, some or all of the savings to charities of their choice. “Many seniors do need their discounts, but not all do,” said Mr. Harrison. “Why not let someone else benefit from that ‘found’ money?” For now, the Boomerang Giving The $335.17 billion Americans gave to charity in 2013 was up 4.4 percent from 2012. It was the fourth straight year of increased giving, and it came close to 2007’s prerecession peak of $349.50 billion (adjusted for inflation). According to a 2013 survey by Regardless of the amount, though, giving to charity can be a win all around, not only for the recipient but also for the donor. A And Harvard researchers found in an experiment that donating to charity can increase physical strength. After giving $1 to Unicef, participants were able to squeeze a handgrip more than 20 seconds longer than nondonors, according to the lead researcher, Kurt Gray. An increasingly popular way for retirees to stay active mentally and socially is to join a local giving circle. For Claudie Williams, 64, of Washington Crossing, Pa., it was retiring seven years ago from a three-decade career in marketing and business development with health care companies that spurred her to join “I got involved because a friend of mine was joining and I was at a point when I was thinking about what am I going to do beyond my career,” Mrs. Williams said. The circle consists of women ranging in age from 45 to 80. Each donates $1,000 and their contributions are pooled to make one or more $100,000 grants annually to nonprofit groups. To date, the circle has awarded grants totaling more than $1.2 million dollars to 24 groups.Membership is expected to top 300 this year. “If you’re living on a fixed income in retirement, the urge to give may be strong, but it’s critical to approach it as you would any investment,” said Judith Ward, a certified financial planner at Contributions to a majority of public charities are deductible as long as the donation doesn’t exceed 50 percent of adjusted gross income. Retirees might even be able to bump up their contributions with some help from their former employers. For example, Johnson & Johnson donates $1 for every $1 retirees donate to qualified nonprofit organizations, up to a maximum $10,000 company contribution per year. IBM retirees can make donations directly from their IBM pensions. “Retirees like the ease and automation of having their donations directly transferred from their pension,” said Ari Fishkind, an IBM spokesman. Before deciding how much to give to charity, make sure your retirement accounts are solid and you have enough money to avoid outliving your savings, Ms. Ward said. Several web-based retirement calculators including Since there is very little regulation of the 1.1 million charities in this country, says Ken Stern, author of “With Charity for All: Why Charities Are Failing and a Better Way to Give Mr. Stern’s advice: First, consider charities that are working for your values. Then make time to seek out the ones that can prove they’re having the impact they say they are. By scribbling checks to the charity that has sent the most requests or bombarded you with phone calls, you’re only rewarding the best marketers. For help reviewing a charity, check out organizations like The free watchdog websites Another way to fund charitable contributions that have been vetted to some degree is through a donor-advised fund. This is a charitable account — the minimum contribution typically starts at $5,000 — set up through a charity, some of which are affiliated with financial services firms, like a At Fidelity Charitable, for example, over 50 percent of accounts are under $25,000, and you can grant as little as $50 to a charity, said Amy N. Danforth, president of Fidelity Charitable. Some people who want to give, but not right now, opt to name a charity as the beneficiary of their You can also split your A parting note: “Whether you’re an individual donor, or a small-business owner, you can do more than just write a check. Ask, ‘What more can I do?,’ ” said Jenny Lawson, vice president for corporate strategies at “The question opens doors for volunteering on all levels — from office support to strategic planning to serving on a board,” Ms. Lawson said. “You and the charity will get more out of your donation when you give your time and talent, too.”