My cousins grandson age 7 has been going through leukemia treatment for over a year. They tried chemo, then experimental treatments and he didn’t do well. He went through hell. Luckily his twin sister was able to give bone marrow and as of now he is back in school.
There’s also Scottish Rite Children’s Hospital in Dallas & other cities, they provide surgery for children regardless of ability to pay. A friend’s child was treated there, he didn’t have to pay anything, they rely on donations too.
I make donations to the local foodbank & PBS station. Now that our democracy is on the line, for the first time I’ve been actively giving to political candidates that believe in democracy, the rule of law, and the Constitution. I’ve donated to my alma mater and the Military Women’s Memorial Foundation (I’m a charter member). The Memorial is the only one honoring women who served in the US Armed Services.
I need to know two things about a charity: does it support something I care about, and how much of every dollar contributed actually makes it past the administration and publicity costs and actually gets to a deserving recipient.
From time to time I check the charity websites that keep track of this latter item, to assess or reassess charities I support.
I’ve found that charities with religious affiliations tend to do best – including Salvation Army, Catholic Charities and a couple of Jewish charities. I also listen to friends’ experiences, and that led me to the Society of St. Andrew, which focuses on food distribution to the poor in rural areas through “gleaning”, making sure that crops that might not be pretty enough for a store can still deliver nutrition.
My weakness is libraries. I love libraries, so I give to libraries I used when I was a kid, and other libraries that I have enjoyed using and that operate well.
I also give to the Salvation Army. I am not in the least bit religious, but Daniel Borochoff, president of the American Institute of Philanthropy, tells me that the Salvation Army is extremely efficient at delivering aid to the needy. This makes me feel good because I can help out, knowing my donations won’t be squandered.
Much of the focus of our giving has been on charities feeding the hungry. With so much wealth in this country there are so many going hungry. We support local, regional (Philabundance in our area) and national (i.e. Feeding America) organizations. We also support Chef Andres and his World Central Kitchen, feeding people in distress around the world.
My local library, which provides education, entertainment, internet access, and safe space for every member of the community. A theatre program in my city, which has provided me many hours of entertainment and which offers an extensive day camp and after school program for teens. Planned Parenthood for the health services they offer to all genders.
Some of my favorite charities are Concern Worldwide, Goal Global, Oxfam, Unicef, International Rescue Committee, Save the Children, Religious Sisters of Charity, Feed the Children & World Vision. They all work in one way or another to improve the lives of the poorest of the poor in developing countries where people have little to nothing.
In a world as prosperous as ours, it’s incredible that we still have 700 million fellow souls living on less than about $2/day.
World Vision attacks extreme poverty through a comprehensive approach that involves local communities in providing clean water and hygiene programs, maternal and child healthcare, economic development, and a biblically-based empowered world view, among other programs.
Access to clean water changes lives and destinies. Kids remain healthy. They can go to school instead of trudging back and forth to fetch contaminated water from a local pool or river. Families can bathe more frequently and raise food in an irrigated garden.
We’ve supported World Vision for over 20 years, and have felt very blessed to be able to partner with the organization.
As a Christian, I prefer to give to Christian related charities. I am at the stage of life where I can give more to charity. Missions, an orphanage, children ministries, local food banks, cancer research and others. I prefer local charities because I can better understand the effectiveness of their charities.
One important statistic is what percentage of giving goes directly to serving the target recipients. IMO, 90% is a good target. There are many well known national charities that do not come close to that target. They have a sizable percentage of their donations directed to fund raising and administration.
Years ago, a retired furniture executive spoke to our Sunday School class about his charity which provided aid to Central American children. Initially, he had given a large donation to a well known African charity which appealed to many churches in our area for donations. He told the leader of the charity that he would like to visit their African operations and see how they were doing. The leader discouraged that which made him all the more determined to visit Africa. When he did, he was appalled at how little was being done for the children.
He decided to start his own charity in Central America and his goal was to use 100%+ of donations directly for aid to the children. He is very creative in getting food and supplies and ships these from the US at his own expense. They feed a large number of children, have established a school, and a medical clinic. Few people have heard of his charity, but it is doing a wonderful job with little fanfare.
Mercy Chefs is my charity of choice. I remember, very vividly, the book, “The Family of Man” and this one black and white photo with a quote of “All we know is hunger.” Decades later, I can still see the image of that woman with her baby. Hunger is something very tangible that can be easily, if only temporarily, fixed.
We have a heart for local charities that help people in our community. One of these is connected to our local school system. As the teachers or other staff members become aware of a need for one of the children, they are able to meet it b/c they have some funds available. These are practical needs like eyeglasses, paying for someone’s SAT, etc.
Being involved with animal-related nonprofits for many years (including co-founding and operating a nonprofit from 2012-2019 to provide financial assistance to dog rescues), I know that donations are the lifeblood of nonprofits. I prefer to contribute to small, all-volunteer nonprofits that are good stewards of their finances and stay true to their mission. After doing my due diligence, my modest contributions to these small nonprofits can make a significant difference to them, unlike the same donation being just a drop in the bucket for a large nonprofit. There always ends up being a personal contact and such genuine appreciation. Sometimes my donations are used to fund a matching gift fundraiser by the nonprofit to double the impact of my giving and tp incentivize others to give.
I really enjoy my philanthropic efforts, though modest they may be. It is long been one of the primary goals of my investing–yes, having my money go to the dogs! I am looking forward to soon being eligible to make Qualified Charitable Donations (QCDs) from my IRA (the starting age for QCDs remains 70 1/2 even though the starting age for RMDs is now 72).
So many great charities to support — for almost any area of interest, passion, compassion. Some of my family’s favorites are the ACLU, Natural Resources Defense Council, Global Fund for Women, and Delivering Innovation in Supportive Housing. As an aside, I fervently disagree with those who suggest that there is a mismanagement problem in the nonprofit sector(s), though I respect one’s right to see it as they wish. To me, there is a lot of data to demonstrate that nonprofits have more external accountability levers and requirements than most for profit small and large businesses. Every sector has its small number of bad actors and its under-resourced groups — but not true of any sector as a whole, it seems to me. I’m with you in generosity and giving back. Happy holidays.
I spent part of my career working for non-profits. After witnessing first hand the waste and mismanagement of funds, I struggle to donate to charities. HOWEVER, I am generous by nature so I find other ways to give. I start by always tipping more than expected. I give money to street performers. I tip people that don’t expect a tip. There is a local private school that educates at-risk children. I frequently purchase specific items for the school – like a pizza party they use as a reward or sports equipment. Although this is an unconventional way to donate, I feel my money is actually helping an individual instead of increasing the bonus of executives.
I realize there is no tax deduction associated with my form of giving. A tax deduction is not my reason for giving.
I like what my church does. We provide financial help and serving opportunities to local groups/charities and even to international organizations. We give to City Rescue Mission and Mission House which helps homeless people in our city to get a hot meal. Heartfelt Ministries helps seniors in our area who feel isolated or simply need basic tasks done for them, like buying groceries. We also play a big role in Compassion International – sponsoring impoverish children around the world. I think what we do makes a difference because we impact our local community, while trying to be imagine bearers of God around the world too.
I’m not yet at a stage in my life where I have a lot of disposable money to donate to charity. But I’m a big fan of the effective altruism movement, and GiveWell is the charity that I know of that best adheres to the principles of effective altruism.
I love the Salvation Army. In the 1980’s I was trying to provide money from a civic organization to victims of a local flood. I met with the local representative and said “I have $1,500 we would like to get to those effected by the flood that need it”. The woman, a Major in the Salvation Army, said “we don’t give money to people that need it”. I asked for an explanation. She said “if they were any good at handling money, they probably wouldn’t need it. We found it’s not good policy to give money to people that need it.” I then asked, “so what do you do?”. She said “we send social workers in to see what goods and services they need and then purchase those goods and services at the best possible price”. I asked if she would do that with the $1,500 and she said, “young man we do that every day”. She took the money and asked for me to return in two weeks. When I came back she reported that they had visited all the households in the flood area, had purchased what was necessary and had $300 left over and wanted to know what she should do with it. I smiled and said you should use that money for whatever she thought appropriate, knowing it would be well spent.
I love charity:water. The founder has an incredible story and all the donations go directly to the charity. If you watch Bill Gates story on Netflix, it further shows you just how many people in this world live without access to clean water. This is why I love this charity. It gives people access to something most of us never have to think about, and prevents disease.
My favorite charities are Laurel House and Unbound. Laurel House is there for victims of domestic violence, an all too often silent killer because it is still a taboo subject. Being on the board of the agency helps me see the caring work they do for victims. Unbound gives you the opportunity to sponsor and support a child in the United States or anywhere in the world. What a joy it is to share communication with that child.
We adopted our kids, and it was the best decision we’ve made. Every dollar spent on helping adopting families cover their expenses to provide loving homes for the large number of orphans and foster children is money well-spent. It gives those kids a chance to succeed when the odds say they wouldn’t otherwise, and our society is much the better for it.
I also like to have some sort of hands-on involvement with the charity (volunteering time) as well as money.
My biggest charity “turn-off” (other than an imbalanced admin costs to aid ratio) is when a large portion goes to “raising awareness.” That is important, but for many such causes people are already well-aware; they now need solutions!
Well said, this is almost exactly what I do. I always check them out on Charity Navigator to see what %of my donation goes to admin and soliciting donations.
Freedom Service Dogs. They provide service dogs to vets, first responders and children with disabilities all at no cost to them.
Most of our giving goes to St Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital. The rest is to church and various local organizations.
My heart aches for sick children. St. Jude’s and Shriners are high on my list.
My cousins grandson age 7 has been going through leukemia treatment for over a year. They tried chemo, then experimental treatments and he didn’t do well. He went through hell. Luckily his twin sister was able to give bone marrow and as of now he is back in school.
It isn’t fair for kids to suffer and not be able to just be kids.
There’s also Scottish Rite Children’s Hospital in Dallas & other cities, they provide surgery for children regardless of ability to pay. A friend’s child was treated there, he didn’t have to pay anything, they rely on donations too.
I make donations to the local foodbank & PBS station. Now that our democracy is on the line, for the first time I’ve been actively giving to political candidates that believe in democracy, the rule of law, and the Constitution. I’ve donated to my alma mater and the Military Women’s Memorial Foundation (I’m a charter member). The Memorial is the only one honoring women who served in the US Armed Services.
I need to know two things about a charity: does it support something I care about, and how much of every dollar contributed actually makes it past the administration and publicity costs and actually gets to a deserving recipient.
From time to time I check the charity websites that keep track of this latter item, to assess or reassess charities I support.
I’ve found that charities with religious affiliations tend to do best – including Salvation Army, Catholic Charities and a couple of Jewish charities. I also listen to friends’ experiences, and that led me to the Society of St. Andrew, which focuses on food distribution to the poor in rural areas through “gleaning”, making sure that crops that might not be pretty enough for a store can still deliver nutrition.
My weakness is libraries. I love libraries, so I give to libraries I used when I was a kid, and other libraries that I have enjoyed using and that operate well.
Go Army – The Salvation Army.
I also give to the Salvation Army. I am not in the least bit religious, but Daniel Borochoff, president of the American Institute of Philanthropy, tells me that the Salvation Army is extremely efficient at delivering aid to the needy. This makes me feel good because I can help out, knowing my donations won’t be squandered.
Much of the focus of our giving has been on charities feeding the hungry. With so much wealth in this country there are so many going hungry. We support local, regional (Philabundance in our area) and national (i.e. Feeding America) organizations. We also support Chef Andres and his World Central Kitchen, feeding people in distress around the world.
My local library, which provides education, entertainment, internet access, and safe space for every member of the community. A theatre program in my city, which has provided me many hours of entertainment and which offers an extensive day camp and after school program for teens. Planned Parenthood for the health services they offer to all genders.
Some of my favorite charities are Concern Worldwide, Goal Global, Oxfam, Unicef, International Rescue Committee, Save the Children, Religious Sisters of Charity, Feed the Children & World Vision. They all work in one way or another to improve the lives of the poorest of the poor in developing countries where people have little to nothing.
In a world as prosperous as ours, it’s incredible that we still have 700 million fellow souls living on less than about $2/day.
World Vision attacks extreme poverty through a comprehensive approach that involves local communities in providing clean water and hygiene programs, maternal and child healthcare, economic development, and a biblically-based empowered world view, among other programs.
Access to clean water changes lives and destinies. Kids remain healthy. They can go to school instead of trudging back and forth to fetch contaminated water from a local pool or river. Families can bathe more frequently and raise food in an irrigated garden.
We’ve supported World Vision for over 20 years, and have felt very blessed to be able to partner with the organization.
As a Christian, I prefer to give to Christian related charities. I am at the stage of life where I can give more to charity. Missions, an orphanage, children ministries, local food banks, cancer research and others. I prefer local charities because I can better understand the effectiveness of their charities.
One important statistic is what percentage of giving goes directly to serving the target recipients. IMO, 90% is a good target. There are many well known national charities that do not come close to that target. They have a sizable percentage of their donations directed to fund raising and administration.
Years ago, a retired furniture executive spoke to our Sunday School class about his charity which provided aid to Central American children. Initially, he had given a large donation to a well known African charity which appealed to many churches in our area for donations. He told the leader of the charity that he would like to visit their African operations and see how they were doing. The leader discouraged that which made him all the more determined to visit Africa. When he did, he was appalled at how little was being done for the children.
He decided to start his own charity in Central America and his goal was to use 100%+ of donations directly for aid to the children. He is very creative in getting food and supplies and ships these from the US at his own expense. They feed a large number of children, have established a school, and a medical clinic. Few people have heard of his charity, but it is doing a wonderful job with little fanfare.
What’s the name of the charity? I’m sure readers would love to know.
Mercy Chefs is my charity of choice. I remember, very vividly, the book, “The Family of Man” and this one black and white photo with a quote of “All we know is hunger.” Decades later, I can still see the image of that woman with her baby. Hunger is something very tangible that can be easily, if only temporarily, fixed.
Smile Train, which funds surgeries and followup care to correct cleft palates.
We have a heart for local charities that help people in our community. One of these is connected to our local school system. As the teachers or other staff members become aware of a need for one of the children, they are able to meet it b/c they have some funds available. These are practical needs like eyeglasses, paying for someone’s SAT, etc.
Being involved with animal-related nonprofits for many years (including co-founding and operating a nonprofit from 2012-2019 to provide financial assistance to dog rescues), I know that donations are the lifeblood of nonprofits. I prefer to contribute to small, all-volunteer nonprofits that are good stewards of their finances and stay true to their mission. After doing my due diligence, my modest contributions to these small nonprofits can make a significant difference to them, unlike the same donation being just a drop in the bucket for a large nonprofit. There always ends up being a personal contact and such genuine appreciation. Sometimes my donations are used to fund a matching gift fundraiser by the nonprofit to double the impact of my giving and tp incentivize others to give.
I really enjoy my philanthropic efforts, though modest they may be. It is long been one of the primary goals of my investing–yes, having my money go to the dogs! I am looking forward to soon being eligible to make Qualified Charitable Donations (QCDs) from my IRA (the starting age for QCDs remains 70 1/2 even though the starting age for RMDs is now 72).
So many great charities to support — for almost any area of interest, passion, compassion. Some of my family’s favorites are the ACLU, Natural Resources Defense Council, Global Fund for Women, and Delivering Innovation in Supportive Housing. As an aside, I fervently disagree with those who suggest that there is a mismanagement problem in the nonprofit sector(s), though I respect one’s right to see it as they wish. To me, there is a lot of data to demonstrate that nonprofits have more external accountability levers and requirements than most for profit small and large businesses. Every sector has its small number of bad actors and its under-resourced groups — but not true of any sector as a whole, it seems to me. I’m with you in generosity and giving back. Happy holidays.
I spent part of my career working for non-profits. After witnessing first hand the waste and mismanagement of funds, I struggle to donate to charities. HOWEVER, I am generous by nature so I find other ways to give. I start by always tipping more than expected. I give money to street performers. I tip people that don’t expect a tip. There is a local private school that educates at-risk children. I frequently purchase specific items for the school – like a pizza party they use as a reward or sports equipment. Although this is an unconventional way to donate, I feel my money is actually helping an individual instead of increasing the bonus of executives.
I realize there is no tax deduction associated with my form of giving. A tax deduction is not my reason for giving.
I like what my church does. We provide financial help and serving opportunities to local groups/charities and even to international organizations. We give to City Rescue Mission and Mission House which helps homeless people in our city to get a hot meal. Heartfelt Ministries helps seniors in our area who feel isolated or simply need basic tasks done for them, like buying groceries. We also play a big role in Compassion International – sponsoring impoverish children around the world. I think what we do makes a difference because we impact our local community, while trying to be imagine bearers of God around the world too.
I’m not yet at a stage in my life where I have a lot of disposable money to donate to charity. But I’m a big fan of the effective altruism movement, and GiveWell is the charity that I know of that best adheres to the principles of effective altruism.
If you don’t have extra money, you can donate your time.
I love the Salvation Army. In the 1980’s I was trying to provide money from a civic organization to victims of a local flood. I met with the local representative and said “I have $1,500 we would like to get to those effected by the flood that need it”. The woman, a Major in the Salvation Army, said “we don’t give money to people that need it”. I asked for an explanation. She said “if they were any good at handling money, they probably wouldn’t need it. We found it’s not good policy to give money to people that need it.” I then asked, “so what do you do?”. She said “we send social workers in to see what goods and services they need and then purchase those goods and services at the best possible price”. I asked if she would do that with the $1,500 and she said, “young man we do that every day”. She took the money and asked for me to return in two weeks. When I came back she reported that they had visited all the households in the flood area, had purchased what was necessary and had $300 left over and wanted to know what she should do with it. I smiled and said you should use that money for whatever she thought appropriate, knowing it would be well spent.
Great story — thanks for posting it!
Big Brothers, Big Sister, local food banks, medical support to third world countries.
Big Brothers Big Sisters. I think it’s a great program that gives mentorship to young kids who often don’t have a lot of that in their life.
I love charity:water. The founder has an incredible story and all the donations go directly to the charity. If you watch Bill Gates story on Netflix, it further shows you just how many people in this world live without access to clean water. This is why I love this charity. It gives people access to something most of us never have to think about, and prevents disease.
My favorite charities are Laurel House and Unbound. Laurel House is there for victims of domestic violence, an all too often silent killer because it is still a taboo subject. Being on the board of the agency helps me see the caring work they do for victims. Unbound gives you the opportunity to sponsor and support a child in the United States or anywhere in the world. What a joy it is to share communication with that child.
We adopted our kids, and it was the best decision we’ve made. Every dollar spent on helping adopting families cover their expenses to provide loving homes for the large number of orphans and foster children is money well-spent. It gives those kids a chance to succeed when the odds say they wouldn’t otherwise, and our society is much the better for it.
Thank you for what you do.
I have a number of factors that I consider when choosing a charity:
I also like to have some sort of hands-on involvement with the charity (volunteering time) as well as money.
My biggest charity “turn-off” (other than an imbalanced admin costs to aid ratio) is when a large portion goes to “raising awareness.” That is important, but for many such causes people are already well-aware; they now need solutions!
Well said, this is almost exactly what I do. I always check them out on Charity Navigator to see what %of my donation goes to admin and soliciting donations.
Well said!