A point to take into consideration: If you have an income, the government will give you money if you donate to a nonprofit, in the form of tax breaks on the donated money. That gives you that bit more money to give. This is a important factor to take into consideration, as the amount of money the government gives you is not insignificant, it is the amount of tax you would have paid on that money, which can add up to a quarter or more of the amount.