A while back, I acquired a free subscription to Whole Living magazine, and I’ve been reading the December 2010 issue. There’s a thoughtful article on giving, and figuring out the “right” amount to give.

I was particularly struck by the suggestion of thinking not just about what we can do without, but “of what we value most and do[ing] what we can to create more of it in the world.” As the article acknowledges, the concept of giving can be overwhelming and stressful – knowing that there are so many people in the world who have so little, how do you establish a good life for yourself without feeling guilty for not giving away almost everything you have?

So I like the idea of not so much taking away from you already have, but of creating more of what’s good. If it takes money to do that, then it’s more of an investment than a sacrifice. And the concept of giving is expanded beyond monetary donations to taking action. That’s something to think about in the new year.

For locals: The LA Times has a list of organizations that serve the homeless and are looking for contributions.

Crystal at Money Saving Mom is challenging readers and bloggers to do what they can to help the victims of the earthquake in Haiti. She is asking everyone to pray and give to a charity providing relief to the victims. For each email or comment that Crystal gets about what someone did to help those in Haiti, she and her husband will donate 30 cents to Numana, Inc., which is an organization dedicated to giving food to the starving.

And, for every blogger who writes a post about what they have done to help the people in Haiti, Crystal and Jesse are donating $10 to Compassion International, an organization dedicated to helping children who are living in poverty.

Crystal’s encouraging creativity but my brain cells aren’t up to it this morning. So I’ll just be donating to AmeriCares, an organization that provides relief similar to the Red Cross, but which has a better rating at Charity Navigator.

In fact, that’s the thought I’ll leave you with – that although any donation is great, it’s always good to check out the recipient and make sure they’ll make the most of your money. Charity Navigator makes it easy to do at least a little research into an organization, and most large charities are listed. Now, head over to Money Saving Mom and read Crystal’s post.

Each year, the United States Postal Service holds a food drive to collect donations for local food banks. The event is called Stamp Out Hunger and it’s one of my favorite charity events because it’s so easy to participate. All you have to do is leave a bag(s) of nonperishable grocery items next to your mailbox. (They ask that you not include items that are expired or in glass containers.)

This is an excellent time to go through your pantry and clear out the things you won’t use before they expire!

According to this Law.com article, Simpson Thacher and Bartlett is sending fifteen associates to work for nonprofit organizations for one year as part of their pro bono initiative. The firm expects the attorneys to return to the firm when the year is up.

Simpson salaries start at $160,000 – par for the course for a large firm in a large city. But it sounds like associates who spend the year with a nonprofit will only make $60,000. (I don’t know anyone who works for a firm that has this kind of pro bono program so I don’t know if the difference is made up for at some point.) The associates won’t be considered employees of the firm while they’re away, although they get to keep their insurance benefits – so the year away may impact seniority as well.

As much as I believe in serving the public, I just can’t see taking a $100,000 pay cut for a year. That’s a lot of money to give up, especially since most lawyers I know have student loans that need to be repaid – and the associates going out are only first to third-years, so it’s unlikely that they’ve paid off their loans already. Even though $60,000 is a decent salary, it’s not that easy to pay off $1,000 in student loans each month when it’s 20% of your gross pay, and close to half of your take-home pay.

What would you do?