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 Start With Small Gifts and Build From There Barbara Scholtz, 2001 
When it comes to giving, you don't have to be a Rockefeller or a Carnegie to be a philanthropist. You can start small and build from there.
This is the message that Barbara Scholtz, an NCCF board member, and her husband, Francis "Dutch" Scholtz, have disseminated during the past 25 years in their workshops on stewardship. These workshops have been held in 60 dioceses and more than 300 parishes in North America and the Caribbean, as well as in the Diocese of St. Augustine, Fla., where Mr. Scholtz was director of stewardship and a lay person who spent a 50-year career in the Church."We're trying to educate Catholics to be tithers and sacrificial givers of their time, talent, and treasure," explains Mrs. Scholtz. "Tithing" refers to the Biblical concept of donating 10 percent of one's income to charity. Many people, however, simply can't afford this level of giving. In response, the Scholtzes encourage people of modest means to think about "incremental giving." It's a practical approach based in the reality of people's financial situation s. "So many Americans are heavily in debt -- whether with their mortgage, credit card bills or children's college education," notes Mrs. Scholtz. "Even giving 1% of their income every year may not be feasible for them. If that's too much, we tell them to take a leap of faith and give 1/2%." They encourage those already embarked on a philanthropic path to raise the bar each year. For example, if you gave away 1% of your income in 2007, see if you could raise that to 1 1/2% for the next six months. Also, develop a structured giving plan, so you know which agencies you're donating money to and why. "Don't just give money away willy-nilly," advises Mrs. Scholtz. The Scholtzes teach people to budget both in terms of their living and giving. It's a practice they carry on in their own lives. Every month, when the bills arrive, "the first thing we do is write that check to our parish," says Mrs. Scholtz. "We put God first in our finances, and in our time and talent, also. It puts your priorities in proper order." The couple has a structured approach in which they give away a minimum of 10% of their money -- and 5% of that gift goes to their local parish. It's not easy to begin, says Mrs. Scholtz, but once you start your giving plan, it liberates you from the control that money has over your life. "This has freed me from our materialistic, consumerist culture," she says. Click Here for more information about Donor-Advised Funds. |
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