Andrew Hastings: Hi! I'm Andrew Hastings, Vice President of National Philanthropic Trust. I'm here to talk with you about giving wisely to the charitable causes that mean the most to you.

Many people think that charitable giving means writing a check or giving cash. Those are both fine ways to make a charitable gift, but you have many more options as well, such as donating food and clothing or giving the gift of your time. You can also make an outright gift by credit card or online. Not only do many charities accept gifts through their own website; there are several websites that facilitate giving to certain causes such as donorschoose.

org for giving to schools and texting has become a popular vehicle for giving.

For example, in response to natural disasters, the American Red Cross has raised millions of mobile texting donations. In this series, I'll talk about all of these options and more. I'll also tell you about ways to evaluate a Charity, so you can be confident that your gift will be used well and make a difference.

I'll discuss some of the Tax Benefits of charitable giving, including the benefits of contributing appreciated assets such as stocks, mutual funds, and liquid assets, as well as making up a quest gift. In addition, I'll look at the important topic about best to support individuals in areas impacted by natural disasters and how you can identify Organizations that are providing relief to those in need.

And finally, I'll talk about some of the sophisticated ways to leave an enduring legacy of philanthropy and how you can pass along the important value of giving back to your children and grandchildren. But before we get started, let me tell you a bit about my background.

I'm Vice President of National Philanthropic Trust, an independent public charity that helps donors achieve their philanthropic goals. NPT is one of the fastest growing charities in the US. Since our founding, we have raised more than $2 billion in charitable gifts and we have helped our donors make more than $1 billion in grants to charities throughout the country and around the world.

My job at NPT is to provide philanthropic expertise to charitable donors, foundations of financial institutions, and that's what I'm here to do for you. Are you ready to get started? Let's take a look at choosing the right charity for you.