Figure out how much you can actually afford to give — debt included
We help you build a giving budget that is honest about your loan and credit card payments, then walk you through vetting a cause, the tax rules, and whether recurring gifts or one-time gifts fit your life better. This is general information for people in the United States, not tax or financial advice.
What are you actually trying to figure out?
Six ways into the same decision
Pick the one closest to what you are actually trying to figure out right now.
Size a giving budget that includes your debt
The method most giving advice skips entirely.
Build the budget →Learn how donor-advised funds work
A simpler middle ground between giving directly and setting up a foundation.
See how it works →Find out if your employer matches
Often the easiest extra dollars in your entire giving plan.
Check matching programs →See if debt payoff frees up giving room
When consolidating helps — and when it does not.
Weigh the tradeoff →Size your plan before you commit to a number
Three short tools: a giving-and-supporter plan, a savings-goal timeline for a giving fund, and a readiness checklist — each built to be honest about fees and your existing obligations.
Giving plan sizer
Turn a giving goal and a rough timeline into a realistic monthly or per-gift number, the same way you'd plan a campaign.
Assumptions this uses
- Assumes gifts are spread evenly across the planning period you enter
- Does not account for employer matching — add that separately once confirmed
- Does not account for donation platform processing fees, which reduce what the charity actually receives
- US figures only; does not model any tax benefit
Limitations: This is a planning estimate, not a budget recommendation — it does not check whether the target is affordable given your income and debt payments. Use the savings-goal timeline tool below for that check.
Runs entirely in your browser.
Give from what is left, not from what feels generous
A giving budget that survives contact with real life is built on your income minus your fixed debt payments minus a small buffer, not on a round number that felt right in the moment. Run the numbers once, then automate the gift so you never have to decide twice. If your debt payments genuinely do not leave room this year, that is useful information too — a smaller, sustainable gift beats a larger one you cannot keep up.
Ask about sizing your giving plan
A short back-and-forth to help you think through your own numbers and questions — it will never rate or recommend a specific charity.
Get help with your giving plan
Tell us what you're working through — a target number, a charity you're unsure about, or whether debt payoff should come first. We read every message.
Nothing here is saved beyond what you submit, and there is no obligation attached to sending it.
Partner link — we may be paid a fee at no cost to you. How we make money.
Carrying high-interest debt alongside your giving goals?
If credit card or personal loan payments are the main thing standing between you and the giving budget you want, it can be worth seeing what a consolidation loan would actually cost versus what you are paying now — before assuming it will help.
Compare loan options →A few physical things that make giving easier to manage
Plain products that help with the paperwork and planning side of giving — not a storefront, and not required to use anything else on this site.
How we make money: some links here are partner or affiliate links and we may be paid a fee at no cost to you. It never changes what we write or how options are ordered — see our disclosure and methodology.
Giving and budgeting books
Background reading on building a sustainable giving habit, not a sales pitch.
Check price →Financial calculator
For the arithmetic you do not want to do on your phone while comparing loan offers.
Check price →Donation receipt organizer
Somewhere to keep charity acknowledgment letters together before tax season.
Check price →Annual giving planner
A simple way to track recurring and one-time gifts across the year in one place.
Check price →The Debt-Aware Giving Budget Worksheet
This free download walks through the same debt-aware method used across this site: what to subtract before you set a giving number, how to check a charity, and what to ask before a recurring commitment or a larger one-time gift.
Where debt and giving actually intersect
These are lending and giving partners, not a ranking of every option available. If debt payments are the real constraint on your giving budget, it can be worth seeing what these actually cost before you decide either way.
How we make money: some links here are partner or affiliate links and we may be paid a fee at no cost to you. It never changes what we write or how options are ordered — see our disclosure and methodology.
Compare debt consolidation and refinance options
See rates and terms across multiple lenders in one place, to check whether consolidating would genuinely lower your monthly payments.
Compare loan options →Charitable giving and giving-budget questions, answered plainly
No hedging, no upsell. Where the honest answer is 'it depends,' we say exactly what it depends on.
How much should I donate to charity each year?
There is no single correct percentage — common reference points range from around 1% to 10% of after-tax income, but the number that actually holds up is whatever is left after your fixed debt payments and a reasonable savings buffer. Start with the calculator on this site rather than a round number you saw somewhere else.
Is my charitable donation tax deductible?
Only if you itemize deductions on your US federal tax return instead of taking the standard deduction, and only if you give to a qualifying 501(c)(3) organization with proper documentation. Most filers take the standard deduction and get no additional tax benefit from giving, which does not make the gift less meaningful — it just means the tax deduction should not be your main reason to give.
Should I pay off debt before I start giving to charity?
It depends on the type and cost of the debt. High-interest credit card debt is usually worth prioritizing first, since the interest cost often exceeds any benefit from giving now versus giving more later. Lower-interest debt like a typical mortgage is less urgent to pay down ahead of giving, since the math rarely favors it.
Does consolidating my debt actually free up money to give more?
Sometimes, but not automatically. If a consolidation loan or refinance genuinely lowers your total monthly payment without resetting you into years of extra interest, it can create real giving room. If it mainly stretches the same debt over a longer term, the 'extra' monthly cash can be an illusion. Run the actual numbers before assuming either outcome.
How do I know if a charity is legitimate before I donate?
Check that it is registered as a tax-exempt organization, look at how it reports spending its money (program costs versus overhead and fundraising), and see whether it files current, publicly available financial reports. A charity that is vague about all three is worth more scrutiny before a larger gift.
What is a donor-advised fund and why would I use one?
A donor-advised fund is an account you contribute to, get an immediate tax deduction for (if you itemize), and then recommend grants out of over time to charities you choose. It is useful for people who want to bunch several years of giving into one tax year, or who want a simple way to give steadily without picking a new charity every time.