Coming out of the supermarket checkouts, in the street, in letter boxes and on our screens, the traditional end-of-year collections of associations and foundations are multiplying. They need this support which enables them to fight against poverty, exclusion, disease, and for education, the environment and biodiversity. Giving is not giving yourself a clear conscience, it is participating in the action of recognized associations and NGOs. And this generosity is encouraged by the tax administration.
Foodstuffs
Three bags of five kilos of rice, ten packs of 250g of wheat, as many chickpeas, three sets of three packs of ground coffee, thirty sachets of dehydrated soups, twenty bricks of soup … the chest from Edith and Yves' car looks like a school canteen pantry! The couple in their fifties however live without children in a small village in Franche-Comté. "We are a little ashamed, it must be said, but on the eve of containment, we robbed what was left on the shelf in our local supermarket", Edith confides. Today, these provisions encumber them."At the time, we took what came to our hands, but we are not going to consume all that", explains Yves, unloading his safe in front of the local branch of the Restos du Cœur de Vesoul, in Haute-Saône.
Donation in kind, not always easy
The couple initially wanted to entrust their products to a food bank. Impossible: for reasons of traceability, the associations of the Banquealimentaire.org network do not collect products donated by individuals, with the exception of those collected during collections in supermarkets. "So, we contacted the Restos du cœur, where donations in kind are possible.", explains Edith. Possible, but very supervised: only" dry "products, unopened, with a consumption date not exceeded, with undamaged packaging and presenting all their labels can be received. The" Restaurants "themselves collect. also at the checkouts of hypermarkets and supermarkets (generally at the beginning of March) In 2020, the national collection collected 8,000 tonnes of food, the equivalent of eight million meals.
A thousand and one ways to give
Collections in stores or in the street, monthly donations by direct debit, online jackpots, "rounding" up to the euro at the supermarket checkout, campaigns on social networks, SMS … generosity can take many ways. On Cestbonesprit.fr, you can sell your second-hand items as on any other site of the same type, and donate all or part of the price to an association. Today, it is also possible to give your meal vouchers to an association to help disadvantaged people, or even the "miles" of its Air France Flying Blue loyalty program, for the benefit of the Red Cross, the Channel of Hope, of the Flight for European children.
Demanding generosity
In 2019, the generosity of the French amounted to 4.5 billion euros, to which are added 3 billion in corporate donations, according to France Générosités, the organization which brings together a large number of associations and NGOs. . In the first months of this year, the health crisis prompted one in four people to donate to an association, according to an Ipsos survey for the Apprentis’Auteuil foundation. And more than half of those polled said they intended to donate this year. In all circumstances, this solidarity is conditioned by unchanged requirements. The French want above all to fund effective actions (50% of respondents), support a very specific cause (47%), and be able to count on the financial transparency of the funded organizations (40%).
A label of trust
To reassure donors about the fair use of their generosity, 18 associations and foundations created in 1989 the label "Don in confidence". The code of ethics of this framework is based on four fundamental principles: respect the will of donors, seek the best efficiency, demonstrate integrity and disinterestedness, and accept transparency. Ninety-five organizations operating in France now display this label, and each year publish their "Essentiel", an information document which allows everyone to verify the use of donations sent to these associations (donenconfiance.org).
Solidarity rewarded
The public authorities encourage the generosity of the French by granting them substantial tax reductions. Thus, donations in favor of associations helping the most disadvantaged (Restaurants du cœur, the Red Cross, the Secours Catholique, the Secours populaire, etc.) give rise to a tax reduction of 75%, up to to € 1,000 donation in 2020 (the ceiling has been raised). Aid to organizations resettling victims of domestic violence benefits from the same reduction rate, amounting to € 546 in donations. Beyond these ceilings, the tax reduction is 66%, like that granted to other associations – organizations of general interest or recognized as being of public utility. The same rates apply to interest given to associations by means of solidarity savings products (Autrement de la Maif booklet, Nef booklet, Agir du Crédit Coopératif booklet, etc.), with the exception of the sustainable and solidarity savings booklet, him totally exempt from tax and social security contributions.
Savings, a solidarity passbook
Intended to finance small and medium-sized enterprises, as well as enterprises in the social and solidarity economy (ESS) sector, the sustainable and solidarity development booklet (LDDS), which replaces the Codevi, is accessible to all savers, who can deposit up to € 12,000 there, remunerated at the rate of 0.5% per year. In addition, since October 1, it is possible to make a donation to actors in the social and solidarity economy from this savings, directly, free of charge and without going through your current account. To this end, banking establishments must now submit to LDDS subscribers a list of associations with which they can share the interests of their passbook.
Apps that make small gestures easier
Our smartphones can also be transformed into vectors of generosity, thanks to the dedicated services of a number of applications.
LYF PAY
The made in France mobile payment application offers a donation service to support Action contre la Faim, Le Rire Médecin and La Chaîne de l'Espoir.
KAPTEN
With "Ride4Good", the online private driver app offers its customers the possibility of rounding the cost of their trip to the next 50 cents, which will be donated to several partner associations.
SWILE
This app allows you to bring your dematerialized meal vouchers to several associations, including Restos du cœur, Action contre la Faim and Secours populaire.
FREERICE
With the free vocabulary game in English from the World Food Program, you accumulate grains of rice that will be transformed into as many gifts in kind.
GOODEED
The principle ? Watch the ads presented by the app (and the site) to help fund the Restos du cœur, the League against cancer, the Secours populaire, the Good Planet foundation …
KM FOR CHANGE
Launch the "solidarity running" application before your jog or brisk walking session. Each kilometer traveled earns a cash donation funded by one of the partner companies.
The expert's opinion
Camille Romain des Boscs, Executive Director of Vision du monde, the world's leading child sponsorship NGO, present in 90 countries.
"Each year, 35,000 donors trust us and support our actions, including 25,000 godparents who help improve the living conditions of their godchild. Much more than a monthly donation, sponsorship of children is a human adventure. The godparents exchange letters with their godchildren and can even go to meet them at home, in their country. The donations make it possible to carry out projects for the entire village from which the godchild comes, in six essential areas: health, education, food, access to drinking water, economic development and child protection. . Thus, for each godchild, five children benefit from the generosity of donors. Vision du Monde is certified “Donation in Confidence”, which guarantees the total transparency of our operations. Faced with the economic crisis caused by Covid-19, the challenges to be met are significant, vulnerabilities exacerbated, and inequalities are widening. In this particularly complicated context, the donations that allow us to carry out our actions as close as possible to vulnerable populations are all the more important."
Read also :
⋙ Solidarity, environment, mutual aid: these volunteers with a big heart
⋙ To make a donation, there are plenty of new solutions
⋙ Bequeath money to an association, how to use it