Senior Discounts

Who amongst us have not heard of a senior discount? They are ubiquitous in some areas, such as movie tickets or dining out. Here is one program that allows the recipient of a senior discount to donate it to a charity. The NY Times ran a story about this program, Getting a Senior Discount? Here’s How to Give It Away, which allows the recipient of a discount to donate it.  The article tells the story of the Boomerang Giving Project which allowed senior moviegoers to pay full price for their movie tickets and to donate their senior discounts to a charity of their choosing.

More information about the Boomerang Giving Project is available on their website. According to the website, “BOOMERANG GIVING is a national movement of Baby Boomers who dare to imagine the impact we can make as a generation if Boomers with the means reinvest some or all of our senior discount savings back into our communities through charities we each choose ourselves…” The project was also the subject of a story on PBS.

The Boomerang Giving website provides some history on the project. Originating in Washington state, “seven community leaders from Bainbridge Island and Seattle Washington, all dedicated to bolstering future generations through support of nonprofit organizations” created the project  with the mission  “[t]o redefine Baby Boomers as the generation that gives back. By inventing multiple ways to give back, Boomerang Giving is committed to creating opportunities for the 3.5 million persons who turn 65 each year to increase their charitable giving and join others in supporting their communities.”

Returning to the NY Times article, the story notes the upward trend in charitable giving and the benefits of doing so. The obvious, of course, is the help to the charity, but as well, the donor benefits

• “A crucial conclusion from a study published last year in the International Journal of Happiness and Development … concluded that people feel good when they make a charitable donation — especially through a friend, relative or social connection.”
• “Harvard researchers found in an experiment that donating to charity can increase physical strength. .. ” and
• “An increasingly popular way for retirees to stay active mentally and socially is to join a local giving circle.”

The article also offers some advice on checking out a charity’s legitimacy before committing to a financial contribution and basic charitable planning.