take some time today to to look over your charitable contributions for the last year. If you haven't kept track of them throughout the year, you may need to do some research in your checking or credit card records. (I keep a running spreadsheet of my donations to keep things organized.) You'll likely need this information for your tax return, so spending some time gathering info now isn't a bad idea.

Many charities get much of their annual budget in the last two months of the year so they send out a lot of solicitations in this period.  You probably have quite a few sitting around.  Look through the requests you have received and the charitable donations you have already made this year.  Decide how much more you want to give. (I strive to donate a specific percentage of my annual income to charity.  At the end of the year, I can check my pay stub to determine how much more I need to give to hit my target.) 

Once you know how much money you have to donate, log on to the Internet and check the financial records of the groups you are considering for donations.  What percentage of their funds raised actually goes to the cause?  What percentage goes to administration?  What percentage to fundraising? 

After identifying the charities you want to help, divide up the available funds and either write the checks or make online donations.  Make sure you keep a record of all of your donations for tax purposes.

For the future, you may decide that you want to spread your giving out through the year (much easier on the budget). If there are a few charities you always support, you may be able to arrange a monthly deduction, right from your checking account. I have a few such arrangements in place. I barely notice each month's small deduction and my favorite charities get money throughout the year.

But whatever you do, please be as generous as possible.