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Which charity to give to?

komencanto

Thinker
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Jun 13, 2003
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Which would you/ do you give to?? Which ones are bad?

I've convinced my class at school to give get into the philanthropic spirit and donate some money each (most of them) for a monthly donation to a charity. Now, I've shortlisted a few to suggest to them. Does anyone know any reasons why I should/n't give to these groups:

Oxfam Australia
- Good track record, respectable, not lots of advertisement, political attempts to change trade, debt tax etc good.

Medisens sans frontiers
- Helping maintain order in disasters, won nobel peace prize, that just about says it.

CARE Australia
- Similar to Oxfam I guess

Amnesty
- Good.

Waddayarekon?
 
komencanto said:
Amnesty
- Good.
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I dislike the way they try and "raise awareness" by having a student sitting in a cardboard cage wrapped in blankets in nice weather around the university. I'd be more inclined to give them money if they actually looked uncomfortable.

That's it really. I think they do excellent work otherwise.
 
I've been very cynical of large organized charities after donating a couple of times. I gave about $100 via cheques to a couple of charities (I'm blanking on the names, big ones though) when I was back in Canada. For at least 5 years after my donation I was totally inundated from other charities for more money. I realize that charities treat their "sucker lists" as assets and another form of raising money, but it totally turned me off. Now, I'll slip the odd $1 or $5 bill to some steet person who looks like they need it and isn't begging.

When I was in SF I saw some "economically challenged" individual pushing a shopping cart that was stuffed with aluminum cans (as well as bags of cans hanging off the sides). I told him I was impressed and shot him a $5 bill. As I walked away he started shouting loudly, "wow, he gave me $5, wow". It was gratitude and not sarcasm, but it embarrassed me.

Charlie (put me on the "do not call" list) Monoxide
 
For example, Medisens sans frontiers is one of my favorites too, and you can look it up on give.org, here, and find:

Total income $57,947,859
Program expenses $50,268,510 (87%)
Fund raising expenses $5,378,371 (9%)
Administrative expenses $1,681,661 (3%)
Increase in Net Assets $ 619,317 (1%)

Donating to a charity with such expenditure percentages is a pretty safe bet.
 
I buy lottery tickets!

You know the lotto gives money back to the cities n towns. Charity starts at home!!

( I bet a bgger % of my lotto "donation" actually makes it to the people then some of these charities that blow it all on marketing and fundrasing.)
 
Start close to home and take a good look first-hand (preferably with unannounced visits) so that you won't be helping a smug, nasty organization that simply has good public relations and self-advertising skills.
 
The idea said:
Find a good organization that helps orphans and veterans.
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Orphans and vets get plenty already! Same with animals.

Im sure there are local shelters and soup kitchens that can use a little help. Alot of these places run on shoe string budgets.
 
Tmy said:
Orphans and vets get plenty already! Same with animals.

Im sure there are local shelters and soup kitchens that can use a little help. Alot of these places run on shoe string budgets.
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Do orphans get plenty of attention and good advice and direct guidance? If you were an orphan, would you describe yourself as having "plenty"?
 
How many orphans are there anyway? Its not like the days of orphan Annie and hard knock life and all that. I couldnt even point you in the direction of an orphanage. Might as well give to a leapor colony.
 
I was thinking Oxfam before now, but now I'm thinking Medesans sans frontiers. I'll see if I can convince them!
 
None of the above.

When you live in a welfare society, you are:

1) taxed like mad

2) free to dispose of your remaining income in a manner which best serves yourself. No need to donate to any local charities as they have already been serviced by the state.
 
Charlie Monoxide said:
Now, I'll slip the odd $1 or $5 bill to some steet person who looks like they need it and isn't begging.
Click to expand...

I would really recommend against giving money to street people, for a couple of reasons...

First of all, you don't know where they will spend it. Is it really a good idea to give money to someone who will likely buy alcohol/cigarettes with it, when what they need is food and shelter?

Secondly, even those that need it may be simply putting on an act. For example, Toronto's "Shakey Lady"... See: http://www.virtualtourist.com/vt/dc8fa/7/-1/

She sits on the ground half the day, shaking and wheezing, begging for your hard earned travel money, and you'll give it to her right? Well, just to let you know, she eventually gets up, walks to a car with two rather large men inside, climbs in, and drives away.


Better to give to a homeless shelter, or some other oranization that will help people but make sure the money is better spent.

Matabiri said:

Amnesty
- Good.

I dislike the way they try and "raise awareness" by having a student sitting in a cardboard cage wrapped in blankets in nice weather around the university....That's it really. I think they do excellent work otherwise.
Click to expand...

One concern that I have about Amnesty international is its order of priorities. They do a good job highlighting some of the worst offences to human rights, but they also spend a lot of time talking about Mumia (an individual on death row for killing a police officer). Even if you are against the death penalty, Amnesty international's resources can be much better spent trying to prevent genocides in the 3rd world than trying to get someone like Mumia out of jail.


As for other charities...
- Many universities can use the money. (I give money each year to my former university, some for research, some for scholarships)
- If you want to help the environment, I've heard good things about "The Nature Conservancy". Instead of taking a confrontational approach like some organizations do (like Greenpeace), they do things like buy land for preservation, or help companies and governments work out agreements to help save endangered areas
- Or best of all, donate to the JREF
 
Aside from the JREF (of course), I like the MDA, the MS Society, the Autism Society, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the National Center for Science Education, and I'm sure a lot of others that aren't coming to me at the moment.
 
DanishDynamite said:
None of the above.

When you live in a welfare society, you are:

1) taxed like mad

2) free to dispose of your remaining income in a manner which best serves yourself. No need to donate to any local charities as they have already been serviced by the state.
Click to expand...

Yes but that clearly isn't working because there's a lot of bad stuff going on which money could help solve. Say, people not having access to water or vaccinations or information about AIDS etc. If the present the best the human race can do by taxing us then we need to be taxing more or doing something better with it. Anyway I am doing as I see fit, its just a bit less selfish is all.
 
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