s/o tipping - rounding up for charity

[DotAndBuzz]

So at places that give you the option of rounding up for charity, do you? Like, say your total was 19.78, would you hit yes to round up to $20, and give the charity mentioned on the keypad/signage/whatever $0.22 cents?

I'll admit to being iffy on this, as I heard (no idea where) that companies can use these donations as an advertisement for themselves, like "look how much we and our customers donated!" but there's no firm number on how much the company itself kicked in.

NO idea if that's true or not, lol.

For those on the app, your choices:

Yes, always
Maybe depending on the charity
Only if it's $0.50 or less
No
SS

[bex1973]

I voted no. I prefer to give directly to the charities I choose to support. I'm always a little cynical that it all makes it to the charity - I have no basis for this other than my own cynicism LOL. And I agree on your point of companies maybe not being entirely altruistic about it.

[donutsmakemegonuts]

I think it would matter what charity it was, how much it would be to round up and my mood at the moment lol. Like PP mentioned, I prefer to donate directly to charities that mean something to me.

[expectantsteelerfan]

I chose ss, because I will every once in a while, but usually no. But I have no idea why every once in a while I pick yes.

[penguingrrl]

Almost never. It's often charities I don't support (like Autism Speaks) and whose business practices aren't always as altruistic as they're supposed to be.

[Susie]

I'm almost always a no.  I prefer to do my charitable giving in a more planned way, after consulting charity navigator, not just toss a rounding amount at something because it was in front of me.  I also used to budget really carefully, so I preferred to have donations on a specific separate line item that I could account for.  That became habit even if I'm less careful now.

[circa1978]

I sometimes do. It just depends on what the charity is.

[kadams767]

I said yes, always, but I guess I'll qualify that with the fact that I've never come across one of these situations where I didn't agree with or support the chosen charity. I'd have no problem saying no if that ever comes up, but, at least where I live, the chosen charities are pretty non-controversial (at least IMO). Then again, I feel like this only happens at the grocery stores and the charities are always related to food insecurity, and I support many of the orgs. on my own anyhow.

[Saudade]

Only at my local grocery store because it goes to local entities, a new one each month. And I'll only do it if it's one I support

[eddy]

Never

It is never a local charity. It is also always big box places that do this and I will not contribute to their corporate games.

Now if there was somewhere that was giving to a local charity I would round up. Because then I know the money is actually getting into the hands of an organization that needs it. 

[sproctopus]

No, because what you're doing there is paying that company back for the donation they made that gave them a tax break and then they get to make their donation back.

I give on my own.

[kadams767]

Nov 21, 2023 11:35:55 GMT -5 sproctopus said:

No, because what you're doing there is paying that company back for the donation they made that gave them a tax break and then they get to make their donation back.

I give on my own.

I am pretty sure this has been debunked.  I will look for the source I read about it previously.

Multiple sources have talked about this, but this is a good summary:


www.fool.com/the-ascent/personal-finance/articles/myth-buster-customer-donations-do-not-reduce-corporate-taxes/

[sproctopus]

Nov 21, 2023 11:38:30 GMT -5 kadams767 said:

Nov 21, 2023 11:35:55 GMT -5 sproctopus said:

No, because what you're doing there is paying that company back for the donation they made that gave them a tax break and then they get to make their donation back.

I give on my own.

I am pretty sure this has been debunked.  I will look for the source I read about it previously.

Multiple sources have talked about this, but this is a good summary:


www.fool.com/the-ascent/personal-finance/articles/myth-buster-customer-donations-do-not-reduce-corporate-taxes/

I hadn't seen that; thanks.

I still don't trust corporations to give truthfully nor to vet charities for giving. I'd rather give directly to charities who's money actually goes where they say it does.

[dochas]

Never from me as well.

[kadams767]

Nov 21, 2023 11:45:41 GMT -5 sproctopus said:

Nov 21, 2023 11:38:30 GMT -5 kadams767 said:

I am pretty sure this has been debunked.  I will look for the source I read about it previously.

Multiple sources have talked about this, but this is a good summary:


www.fool.com/the-ascent/personal-finance/articles/myth-buster-customer-donations-do-not-reduce-corporate-taxes/

I hadn't seen that; thanks.

I still don't trust corporations to give truthfully nor to vet charities for giving. I'd rather give directly to charities who's money actually goes where they say it does.

And that's totally fine, I just don't want people to be discouraged from giving if it is an org. they do, in fact, support.  Or thinking cynically about stores that offer the "round up" option just so they get a tax break off the back of their customers. There are some good places left out there.   

[shauni27]

It is my understanding that companies do this to make it seem like they made these huge donations and to help them with tax loopholes. I thought I had read that here? Maybe I am making that up, but for some reason that is sticking in my head and so since hearing that I stopped rounding up.

The ONLY time I do, is at our local co-op. 100% of those donations go to local charities.

[VillainV]

No. Those companies take the donations and use it for a tax write off!!! They have plenty of money they can donate without my 27 cents or whatever.

ETA: I see the write-off thing may be debunked, but I still don’t think they need my money to donate.

Several years back my bank had a thing with the debit card where you could elect to round up your purchases and they put it directly into a savings account. I did that for a while and I really liked it! I’d definitely do that again if it were offered.

[kadams767]

VillainV, shauni27

Companies are not doing that and if they are, it's tax fraud. So, I guess maybe some companies are super shady and nefarious and doing this, but it's not legal.

[mysteriouswife]

Nope. They make more profits than me. They can donate if that charity means something to them.

I do my own charity donation and volunteer when I can

[sproctopus]

Nov 21, 2023 12:18:18 GMT -5 mysteriouswife said:

Nope. They make more profits than me. They can donate if that charity means something to them.

I do my own charity donation and volunteer when I can

Yeah, nefarious or not, I don't need large corporations to manage my donations. It's hard enough to ensure your dollars get spent appropriately so that the money gets in the right hands.

[wildrice]

I do more often than not, but you all are making me wonder lol. In the last week I did an extra $5 to something at Homegoods, rounded up for an animal shelter at the hardware store, and rounded up for a food bank at the grocery store. I wonder how much I'm spending on this monthly!

I always figure I'll never notice the difference anyway, so I may as well as long as it's an organization or cause I support. I generally only say no if it's unclear or it's something I'm not familiar with.

[plutosmoon]

I did it once at the locally owned hardware store. They were rounding up for the local humane society and the young girl at the register was so sad when the person in front of me declined, I couldn't handle her sad face again.

I do occasionally buy the donation grocery bags stop and shop sell, those funds go to local orgs. Last time I bought a bag the money went to our citys library.

[quesyrah]

I do if I’m paying with cash. That way I don’t get coins back in my change.

[heyyounotyouyou]

Yes, always. $0.72 it’s going to break me and usually there is a reputable option showing.

And I don’t shop enough where $0.72 becomes $100 before I realize it.

[formerlyak]

It depends on a number of things for me. I don't do it when it's just like "Round up to support kids' charities" and is pretty generic. I do it it's a local charity I would support like "Round up to support Children's Hospital Los Angeles". And I will do the "add $5 to buy a bag of groceries for [insert local food bank]" at the holidays.

I have been working in nonprofit development and management for over 20 years, and if they are specific, they should be showing the receipts of what they received and donated to the given charity as part of their annual audit. If it is generic, like the first example, there is less accountability.

[spindle92]

Well this is my bread and butter these days and I can assure you that my employer is not engaging in tax fraud as I am the one who handles the management of it for the upper Midwest.

[HoneySpider]

Sometimes, depending on the charity

[stemmie]

Totally depends on the charity.

[So_Fetch]

I default to yes. But the other day they asked and I said yes before they finished their sentence. When I heard who the charity was, I declined - so she had to reverse it. I felt bad but they should pick a better charity.

[meanie]

Nah, we can make a much bigger impact giving locally.