Speaking of the holidays

Today, Charity Begins With the Phone But Shouldn't End There

From texting to Facebook, charitably minded consumers will have more ways to give at their fingertips this holiday season. But not all these options work to the advantage of the philanthropists—or the charities.

Charitable giving has been slow to rebound since the downturn. While giving has historically risen an average of 2.4% in the two years following a recession, it inched up just 0.9% last year, when gifts totaled $298.4 billion, according to a report from the Giving USA Foundation and The Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University. The slow pace of recovery means donations may not get back to prerecession levels for another decade, says Patrick Rooney, executive director for the philanthropy center.

If you can do something to help others this season, please do so, regardless of fiscal cliffs and the pros and cons in taxes of giving this year or next. The thing is, give if you are able, whether it's during the holidays, New Year's Eve 2012, or New Year's Day 2013. And if you can't give money, then by all means, do something good that impacts another life. Sometimes the most meaningful gifts are personal and don't involve money at all.