公司开会，讨论慈善捐款的问题，Jenny建议事先调查一下。
J: The recommendation is that 60% of funds should go to projects with no more than 40% going to the charity’s own costs.
M: Here’s another good website: CharityNavigator.org. You can search specific groups and check their ratings. Red Cross is number five in the “Most Recommended Charities.”
G: There’s also animal-related groups. How about the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals?
F: They’re number four on the list. Sounds good.
一般的开支规范是，慈善团体要将百分之六十的捐款用于慈善项目，行政开支不得超过百分之四十。Michael提到了一个叫”CharityNavigator.org”的网站，在该网站推荐的慈善团体中，红十字会排名第五，反对虐待动物社团排名第四。
J: World Vision is number one. They’re a Christian group that provides lot of medical assistance in Asia and Africa.
M: And of course, while we all enjoy doing a good deed, we do need to ensure that the company can get a tax break from our contributions.
G: I’ll double check that donations to each of those groups are in fact tax-deductible.
向亚洲和非洲提供医疗帮助的基督教团体“世界视野” 名列第一。 Michael提醒说，做好事的同时，也要保证公司的捐款能抵税。 We do need to ensure that the company get a tax break from our contributions. Gina说，她会double check查清楚，这些慈善捐款都是能够抵税的。
F: I just had a thought. Every year we give corporate donations and that’s all well and good, but we might consider giving our time instead.
G: Interesting! You mean like volunteering? I like it.
M: Hummm…. that could work. Any specific suggestions?
F: Well, we all have our pet causes. Gina is an animal lover. I have church projects. Jenny is a computer genius….we all have something we could teach or offer.
Frank建议，在捐款的同时，也可以用做义工的方式为慈善事业出力。这一建议受到了大家的肯定。
J: That idea is very worth considering. In some ways, that’s a lot more meaningful than giving money.
G: Yeah. Even doing something simple like volunteering to answer the phone lines at the Red Cross can be a huge help.
M: Ok, how about if we give half of our contribution as donations and for the other half we give our time or expertise to the group of our choice?
All: Agreed!
大家都觉得这个主意不错。Jenny说，从某种角度说，这比给钱更有意义。 That’s a lot more meaningful than giving money. 最后大家一致同意，捐款只做为慈善募捐的一部分。另外一部分由大家自己挑选慈善团体，为它们贡献时间或是专业技能。