Now that we’ve had #GivingTuesday, and kicked off the charitable portion of the holiday season, I want to know: What motivates you to donate at the end of the year?

Charity Navigator did a survey recently and they asked participants to rank why they donated their hard-earned cash. I found the results rather surprising:

7% of respondents said an appeal from the charity was a highly motivating factor

10% said the religious altruistic spirit of the holiday season was a major motivation

and

13% said that tax benefits were a highly motivating factor

Do these results surprise you? Or are you part of the 13% that finishes out your giving budget at the end of the year for a tax write off? I’d love to know the reasons you donate, share them in the comments below, and be sure to take a look at our checklist of things to evaluate before giving money to a charity.

We’re donating $1 for every Facebook share, Facebook like, and Tweet (up to $1,000) on the posts tagged charity from November 15th on. The donations will go to Donor’s Choose projects that have been started to help classrooms affected by the storm.

You can find out more about Donor’s Choose here, and we’ll let you know when we’ve reached our $1,000 goal. So, start sharing and help us get these classes back in session.