America's economic boom during the past decade has spawned an unprecedented growth in charitable giving. During one recent year, Americans gave away a record $190 billion in donations to all manner of philanthropic causes.

This boom has been a boon to many philanthropic causes that are doing urgent work around the world. But the question we all need to consider is what are we going to do with our fiscal blessings? Where do we want our windfall to go? Which of the world's many pressing needs do we want to help meet?

For example, many people have upped their giving to Compassion International, a Colorado charity which helps feed and educate 360,000 needy children in 22 countries around the world.

"This is an incredible period in history that could even surpass the levels of giving we saw in the days of Henry Ford, Andrew Carnegie, and the Rockefellers," said Kathie Delph, director of development for Compassion, where income has grown from $40 million in 1990 to $92.5 million last year.

The ministry has expanded its programs and its staff has outgrown its current headquarters in town and is constructing new facilities north of town.

Not all charities have grown this quickly, but many have watched both their budgets and their programs multiply, meaning they are feeding and clothing more homeless people, sending out more international missionaries, operating more camping programs for young people, or producing more books and studies or radio and television broadcasts.

Still, new times and new money mean that organizations are rushing to adapt new means of communicating their needs to people who write the checks or make the grants.

Today, thousands of nonprofits vie for donor dollars. And with so many competing organizations, funders sometimes have a problem differentiating who everyone is. Some donors are swayed by whichever group has the flashiest promotion materials or the biggest ad budget.

Other donors and grant-makers are paying more attention to bottom-line issues like financial accountability and program effectiveness.

Nonprofits are also being forced to deal with the same issues of size and scale that secular corporations face, which means that some of the bigger charities can do a better job of promoting their message to the public.

But if you want to make the best use of the wealth you've been given, don't merely respond to the messages groups are sending out. Rather, begin doing some of the work of investigation that can help you give to the things that matter most to you.

Investigation inquires looking inward (at yourself, your values, your passions) and outward (searching for the groups that are doing the kinds of things you want to accomplish).

We can help you with both, but the important thing is to not let the tremendous opportunities created by the recent boom-times slip through your fingers.

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