Philanthropy Does Not have To Be A Slow And Painful Slog

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It is truly unfortunate that many people tend to shy away or ignore altogether the issue of global poverty alleviation. Their reasons are justified by the fact that poverty is a stubborn social issue that has complex and multiple causes. Many of those who are fighting global poverty lament that the process is indeed very slow and painful. However, the website 170 Exchange has a solution that is not tedious and actually benefits all parties. In the United States, commercial real estate companies can receive a tax deduction if they choose to do what is called the 170 Exchange or Bargain Sales. The way it works is that the owner of a property donates the property to a non-profit entity for a charitable contribution based tax deduction. This allows the commercial real estate company to immediately save money on paying taxes, as opposed to saving taxes in the future.

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The Welfont Group Uses the 170 Exchange to Fund the Mercy Foundation

The Welfont Group is a commercial real estate company that specializes in acquiring under-utilized or distressed properties. It can also connect other commercial real estate companies with non-profit organizations so both can benefit from the 170 Exchange. This is truly a unique service that not many other companies can offer.

Industry Veterans Sound Off on the Welfont Group’s Expertise on 170 Exchange

Robert W. Wood, a contributor of Forbes Magazine reiterated the niche service offering of the Welfont Group. “While you can make a simple swap of one property for another, the odds are slim you will find someone with the exact property you want who wants the exact property you have.” This is why the Welfont Group is well known for its ability to create suitable matches between commercial real estate firms and non-profit entities that can legally take advantage of the 170 Exchange because as Gary Keller, author of “The Millionaire Real Estate Investor” confirmed, “It’s a very straightforward procedure, but it take some planning. This program in the IRS tax code allows you to sell and buy properties without having to declare capital gains or pay those taxes.” Those words certainly sound like music to the ears of many commercial real estate brokers!

From 170 Exchange to Micro Loans Funding Philanthropic Causes

The Welfont Group disburses micro loans through the Mercy Foundation in order to help those who are less fortunate all around the world. These micro loans are usually used by small businesses, usually family managed, to expand so that they could make small but effective changes that help them get out of debilitating poverty. One example is a family in Georgia that uses the micro loan to buy more milk cows so that the family can make and sell more cheese products. The extra income is then used to renovate their dilapidated house, repay the micro loan and reinvested into the family dairy business. Instead of relying on donations, this family pulls itself out of poverty. What a beautiful thing to see.

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Ways in Which You Can Help The World

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With the hustle and bustle of daily life, job pressures and family duties, it can be very easy for us to forget about those in the World who are far less fortunate than ourselves. There are those who didn’t win the geographical lottery, those who are maligned by illness or are stuck in situations that they did not choose nor can be held responsible for and it is important that as part of the World, we do all that we can to help. You may not think you have the time or the money to help out but there are always ways in which you can support others and here are just a few of them for you to consider.

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Donating Money

There are countless charities and organizations that rely heavily or sometimes sole on the fundraising efforts of their team and the kindness of others to give. If you feel like you don’t have the time to commit to helping others then writing a cheque can do the power of good to many organizations. Take the Synagogue of All Nations (SCOAN) church for example, they sent hundreds of humanitarian workers and medical staff to Haiti in 2010 after the Earthquake that almost destroyed the island and this year they sent $500,000 of aid to Ecuador after it too was hit by an earthquake. Without the donations of kind people, the church would never have been able to help out so much. Just imagine being responsible for helping the lives of others through donating just a  small amount of money.

Donating Your Time

Fining time each week to help out those less fortunate than you is something that is not only rewarding to those whom you are helping but also very personally rewarding. There are countless ways in which you can help, you could help out in a local charity shop, assist in fundraising efforts, you could help out in a local soup kitchen or hospital or even doing something sponsored for charity such as a skydive or bungee jump. What you do exactly is not important it is more the fact that you do something. Think honestly about how you spend your time each week and consider if you could give up just an hour or two in order to help others.

Donate Your Possessions

We all have several things in our lives and around the home that we don’t want or no longer need and spending a day collecting all of these things together and taking them to your local charity shop is a great way to help out. You could help to make the charity a lot of money with your old possessions, providing they are in good condition and this act of kind would not take up too much of your time, but could make a big difference. There are so many people who hoard things that they no longer need and if fewer people did this and more people gave to charity then the World would be a far better place for it.

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Choosing What Charity To Donate Money To

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Believe it or not, this is a subject that should never be taken lightly. Not all the charity foundations you are going to find online can be trusted. Some of them simply do not care about anything else except the money that can be made from people that do trust the services offered. It is really important that you are careful and that you choose the charities with patience. According to Charles Phillips’s wife, you need to keep both objectivity and subjectivity in mind when you make the final choice.

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Determining What Is Important For You

This is definitely the very first step that you have to take. You need to realize what charities matter the most for you. As an example, there are many foundations out there that help homeless people. Is that a topic of interest for you? If not, maybe you want to donate to charities that help talented students that do not have money to afford the top universities.

Take as much time as you need in order to properly determine your personal wishes. See what charities are important and focus on them.

Making A List Of Charities

Simply because you find a cause that you resonate with does not actually mean that you have to instantly donate. There may be another option available that is a lot better for you. What is important is to take an approach that is similar to the one you take when you choose a doctor. You wouldn’t let the first doctor operate on you without knowing anything about his past work. That is what you have to do with the charitable foundations.

See what projects the charities funded in the past. Were they successful? Did they help the people that you would like to help? Do they operate in the areas that you want to support? This is the type of information that you want to look for. The great news is that it is not at all difficult to find all the information you need on the internet. Just Google data.

Meet With Representatives Of The Companies

The one fact that you will not really do but that is very important is to meet with a representative of the company behind the charity. You are interested in this because you surely have some questions you have to ask. At the same time, you need to see how the people there are. There are always some individuals that are going to represent the entire charity but it is the entire team that does the work.

Patience

Donating money to charity can help a lot of people and can even find cures for diseases. However, if you hurry and you donate to the first charity you find online, you may make a huge mistake. It is really important that you take the time that you need in order to be 100% sure that you are going to find a charity that you can trust. Establishing a long-term relationship is really important.

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