At the end of 2008, I had the privilege of helping a client give away a very large sum of money to local charities. In choosing which charities to support, the donors didn’t want to require PhD-quality proposals, scientific measureable outcomes, or “Big, Hairy, Audacious Goal”-type visions. They simply wanted to help front-line charities that were feeding, clothing, counseling and housing the poor during cold winter months, in the midst of financial shortfalls due to the economy. And they wanted a promise that the funds would be spent right away—money in, money out—to meet the season’s extraordinary needs.

Now, I am usually no fan of emergency funding. Even as a college student, I remember feeling uncomfortable when I received year-end SOS appeals from a favorite ministry several years running. It seemed to me that their most pressing need was not actually more money, but better budgeting.

But I felt that the recent round of emergency grants was an inspired gesture. Charities today are facing record demand for services, while their donation revenue is suffering. I appreciated the donors' willingness to reconsider—even if just this once—their giving strategy in light of unusual circumstances.

It is quite possible that, for donors who like to make strategic gifts, the wisest gift now just might be to charities’ general operating funds. Supplemental unrestricted gifts are simply essential today to help charities continue to meet the most basic needs. And from a Christian perspective, I like what Randy Alcorn wrote: “Giving in tough times tells the world that it is God’s providence, not a large checking account, that is the source of our sustenance and security.”