In addition to the money donated in 2010, Wells Fargo team members volunteered their time, with more than 50,000 hours spent helping rebuild and renovate 650 homes – many of which were abandoned properties or foreclosures. The homes were rebuilt with green components and energy efficiency in mind. Additionally, Wells Fargo donated 19 properties to the Habitat, for use in creating affordable housing opportunities.

About The Habitat for Humanity

The Habitat for Humanity International was founded in 1976 through an ecumenical Christian ministry. The organization is committed to eliminating poverty housing through rebuilding, rehabilitating or improving houses around the world. Since it’s inception, the Habitat for Humanity has improved more than 400,000 homes and created affordable shelter for more than 2 million people. You can offer volunteer time or money contributions to support their efforts by visiting Habitat.org.
Pledge for 2011

Wells Fargo’s Housing Foundation has made an additional pledge of $5 million for the Habitat for Humanity’s “Money for Muscle” team member volunteer program to be made during 2011.

About Wells Fargo

Wells Fargo & Company was founded in 1852 and is currently headquarted in San Francisco. They are a community-based financial service company that provides banking, mortgages, consumer and commercial financing, insurance and investments through more than 9,000 store locations and via the internet on wellsfargo.com and wachovia.com. They currently service one out of every three households in the United States.

Reference:

http://www.vadvert.co.uk/society/8344-wells-fargo-exceeds-8-million-commitment-to-habitat-for-humanity-in-2010-by-nearly-50-percent-providing-11-8-million.html

Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC) Contributes $11.8 Million to Habitat for Humanity in 2010 was created by and is property of American Consumer News.

Over 1 billion pounds of food are being pledged to various food banks, $250 million dollars are going to be given to various hunger-relief groups, and they are even going to buy $6 millions worth of refrigerated trucks to give to Feed America and give $2 million to the National Recreation and Park Association’s summer food program for children.

It’s nice to see that in this economy that a corporation is not only doing the corporate responsible thing, but the morally responsible thing. To further show the legitimacy of its pledge, Wal-Mart has partnered itself with various government agencies to help ensure the donations go to where there most needed.

The donations pledge comes shortly after announcements that were made that Wal-mart was trying to branch in to more urban areas. Wal-mart announced that there’s a real chance to do good by allowing them to branch into more urban areas, in that they can provide consistently low prices on food and necessities, all while providing job opportunities to the public.
There is, in general, opposition to this branching out. People against Wal-marts spread say it forces smaller businesses to close, and that it only offers low wage jobs. Most of the opposition comes from politicians and union leaders of the areas being scouted.

Regardless of whether your for or against letting Wal-Mart branch out into more urban areas, you still have to applaud there humanitarian efforts. In this hard economy we are used to seeing headline of big C.E.O.s taking money from bailouts to line there own pockets, and here we have a corporate giant donating money that will be a significant help to many Americans.

According to an article on the Washington Post:

The announcement comes as Wal-Mart continues its efforts to expand from the rural and suburban markets it has saturated into more urban areas. It has scouted locations in Chicago, New York and Washington and met strong resistance from politicians and union leaders, who charge that it pushes smaller stores out of business and pays low wages. But many urban and low-income consumers lack access to healthy foods at affordable prices, and Castro-Wright said that makes them a prime market for Wal-Mart.

Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT)Donating $2 Billion in Food and Money was created by and is property of American Consumer News.

While there is appropriate concern over donating money to unethical funds, it should not stop those who wish to provide financial assistance. It just means that donators take extra precautions when it comes to who they hand over cash. There are plenty of legitimate resources for donating money that will make it to the right place.

Even the Better Business Bureau is sending out recommendations and reminders to help people perform due diligence checks on organizations including:

Online Donations
Spam emails and message will no doubt be swirling the net over the next few days. It can seem simple to click a link and donate while the opportunity is right in front of you but be cautious about the emails and their real source of origin. It may say Red Cross but you can’t always be sure from an email message. Go directly to the web site of the organization and donate online there. Otherwise you risk not only the loss of your money but subject yourself to malicious viruses affecting your PC.

Consider the Source
Your favorite gossip blogger may be pushing a particular site or organization hard core but never rely on third-party information or allow yourself to be swayed by another’s opinion. You are still under obligation to do your own research to find the best way to donate

Research the Organization’s Endeavors
Find out if the fund you are donating to has a crew on-site that is legitimately offering aid to victims. Unless a team is in the area, you can’t be sure that the money will be used to help those in need or just line the pockets of good marketers.

Is the Money Direct?
There will be organizations that set up shop to raise funds for other groups. Skip the middleman and go directly to the source to ensure your full amount is being put to good use and percentages off the top is not going back to some other place.

Donate Only What You Can
While it is unfortunate there are many victims in need, it is important you don’t become a person in need because you’ve donated more money than you can afford. Even if your offering is small, it is still helpful. Be realistic about how much you can donate at one time and don’t short your own financial security.

Haiti Relief Brings About Scams was created by and is property of American Consumer News.

However, thanks again to technology today, you can have a heads-up about different charities before you donate. The website Charity Navigator is a watchdog for charities. The website scores charity groups based on different factors. Charity Navigator was started in 2001 and has quickly become the nation’s most used resource for evaluating charities. Last year, more than 4 million people used the website to research companies. Not only do consumers find the website helpful, large companies like CNN also use the resources of Charity Navigator to identify legitimate charitable organizations. The group actually has enlisted the assistance of professional analysts to review the financial documents of several thousand non-profit organizations. They then established a numbers-based rating system to help consumers better understand the charity prior to donating.

The two main areas the rating system concerns itself with are how the charity functions responsibly on a day to day basis and how well it is able to sustain its programs throughout time. The site awards a charity ranging from 0 to 4. You can search the site by charity name, its location, and the type of charity. The site also offers expert advice, tips for donating, and top 10 lists that highlight the tops and bottom contenders of charitable donations. The professional analysts behind the site have even been regular contributors to the major news outlets when reporting about charities, their responsibilities, and ethics in fundraising.

Even while many consumers are in financial turmoil of their own, people still manage to find a way to give back. Donations big and small do not stop coming in to assist those in need. It is because it is now too easy to create a believable charity that kind-hearted people would want to help. As people struggle to pay their own bills, worry about fraud and being taken on a charitable donation prevents many from helping. With a site like Charity Navigator, not only can consumers check out their intended charity, they may also be able to use the site to discover other charities that need help.

Choose Your Charities More Carefully with Charity Navigator was created by and is property of American Consumer News.

While charitable causes and families who are struggling financially exist year round, it’s often brought into focus during the holiday season.  If you are someone who would like to give more, but don’t feel you have the extra financial means to do so – maybe some of these ideas will make it possible for you to give a little more despite difficult times:

Give Outgrown Clothing:  Families with children regularly have clothing that has been outgrown.  If it’s still in good shape (most of the time children outgrow their clothing so quickly that it doesn’t have a chance to get in bad shape!) there are many organizations that would be grateful for contributions of clothing.  You can give to:

• The Salvation Army
• Goodwill
• Local Thrift Stores
• Local Churches
• Local Hospitals

Canned Goods & NonPerishables: Most families have a cabinet or pantry of canned and boxed food items.  Even if times are tough, chances are you can afford to give a couple cans of corn or a box of macaroni and cheese to someone who is having an even more difficult time than you, right?  Look for local food pantrys/food banks as they are always accepting donations, or contact a few churches in your area to ask if they accept food donations for families who need it.  You may not be aware of it, but chances are your community has a food bank for families who hit financially tough times to stop in and get a bag or two of food to help them through.  These organizations rely on contributions from other families. 

Also keep an eye out for notices in your mailbox – the post office will often host a food drive and collect canned goods through your mailbox, and the local Boy Scout or Girl Scout troop may request donations from time to time to give to food banks, as well.

Donate a Used Cell Phone:  Verizon Wireless accepts donations of used cell phones from any provider, in any condition.  They refurbish and sell them, or recycle them.  Wireless phones with airtime is donated to victims of domestic violence, and proceeds from the sale of refurbished phones are given to non-profit domestic violence shelters and prevention programs across the country.

Give Your Used Bike: Did your children grow out of their small bikes?  Did you purchase a bike but realize you never ride it?  Pedals for Progress accepts used bikes and ships them overseas.  It keeps them out of our landfills, and gives people in developing countries a method of transportation that is environmentally friendly.

Donate Used Toys: Contact local organizations and ask whether they accept used toys – some of the organizations that are often in need of used toys include:

• Day care centers
• Children’s hospitals
• Police, Fire, and Ambulance
• Homeless shelters
• Domestic violence centers

 The Toys for Tots program is nationwide, and accepts new toys if you’d like to purchase and give a new toy to a family who could use it.

Finding Ways to “Give” When Times Are Tough was created by and is property of American Consumer News.

I have seen various practical products for sale that also help to support causes, such as light bulbs, note cards, greeting cards, clothing, jewelry, candles, baskets, and much more. You can either “shop” by the charity of your choice or by the product of your choice. Look around for all of the types of items available for sale by the charity or cause and then keep it in mind for the next time you need to stock up. You can also purchase the items as a gift for those special occasions. The items will most likely be very unique and not something you can find just anywhere. Several things like note cards can even be personalized for the intended receiver. Many of the products can be purchased online so it saves you money and time. Not only are you getting something you needed anyway, you can also continue to regularly contribute to the fundraising efforts of your favorite cause.

Supporting the causes that are dear to your heart does not have to break the bank. Remember there are other ways to help out organizations that cost you nothing financially, only your time and dedication. Volunteering at a local women’s shelter or donating old sheets and shredded papers to the ASPCA, are invaluable ways to help efforts. It cost nothing and can give you everything!

How to Support Your Favorite Charities Without Busting Your Budget was created by and is property of American Consumer News.

The Joy of Giving – A lot of people will never appreciate what their money goes to until they see their charitable donations changing lives, whether it being seeing a 16 year old girl with a single mother getting a Christmas present for the first time in her life, a needy child getting a book-bag full of classroom supplies just before the first day of school, or someone receiving much needed medical care they would not have otherwise received. Once you see people truly affected by your gift, you’ll find an indescribable joy!

A Tax Deduction – You shouldn’t start writing checks just because you get a lower tax bill at the end of the year, but it’s another reason to give. Nobody likes to give money to the IRS each year, and being a generous giver will lower that bill each year. You can claim donations made to charities as a 501(c) as tax deductions. This means that if your tax-rate is 25% and you donate $1,000, you’ll have to pay $250 less in taxes each year.

Doing Good in the World – Remember what we’re doing here. We’re donating money to an organization that will work to help those in need. It doesn’t even need to be to an organization in need, you can just help someone where you see a serious need in their lives. There are a lot of situations that people find themselves through no fault of their own where they just need a bit of help. By us being charitable and helping our neighbors in need, we help them and eliminate the need for any inefficient centralized government programs to deal with those types of issues.

Giving Helps You Simplify – There are charitable organizations such as Good Will that will take your unwanted possessions, sell them and use the profits to help fund charitable causes. There are also organizations that will take used vehicles, used computers and the like and put them to good use for you. You could also hold your own charity garage sale to get rid of stuff as well. Giving is a great way to simplify your life and get rid of some of your extra material possessions that you really don’t want or need.

A lot of people who don’t give (I used to be one of them), did so because they wanted to keep their money and get ahead in the world and giving away one’s money doesn’t make their wealth accumulate in the slightest. If this sounds like you, find a charity you like, go down and visit it and write a check. Give giving a chance, you just might like it.

4 Reasons to Become a Generous Giver was created by and is property of American Consumer News.

December is the single biggest month for charities and other non-profit organizations. People are looking for ways to lower some of their taxes and the spirit of Christmas is upon us—and that means donations, lots of them. Some charities estimate that they make 20% of their annual income in the month of December alone. If the holiday season has moved you to make a charitable donation, there might be a way to give away the same amount of money, but have an even better tax benefit.

Most people write a check to their favorite charity, take the tax deduction, and call it good. This is not the best way to go if you have any sort of investments. You are actually much better off to make a donation of mutual funds or stock to your non-profit organization of choice. By donating an investment instead of stock, you will not only get the standard tax donation for donating to a non-profit organization, but your investment will also be free of tax on any capital gains that you might have had through the investment.

For the sake of this discussion, let’s say that you purchased $500 of stock 2 years ago, and now that stock was worth $1,000. If you donated $1,000 of cash, you might get $250 back from the tax deduction you’ll receive. If you donate $1,000 of stock, you’ll $325 back in the form of the tax deductions and the savings on capital gains. You’ll still be giving the same amount of money, but you’ll get a much better deal when it comes to your taxes.

Most charities will be happy to accept your stock, but some might not be equipped organizationally to receive stock donations. These will be smaller charities that don’t have a large infrastructure in place. In that case, you can just go ahead and pay cash as you normally would.

The charity will then be able to take that investment that you have, keep it and let it grow money, or sell the investment and make use of the cash to help pay for their operating expenses. It might be a few pages of paperwork to make the donation happen, but it’s well worth it when it comes to your taxes. In order to make this all happen, you can talk to your investment firm and they should have a process for transferring your stock ownership over to your favorite charity.

Donate Shares of Stock and Get Double Tax Savings! was created by and is property of American Consumer News.