What Charities are Worthwhile?

[Doc Pepper]

I was wondering how a person can distinguish a good charity from an unworthy one. In the past week, I received multiple requests from various charities for money. I gave to one before I realized that a second request from that same charity was already in my mailbox.
Once every year, my employer would force-ably induce its employees to give to charities. Each year we would get a list of hundreds of charities to choose from. Some of those choices seemed really far fetched, like the society to preserve cacti, or a local organization to give Christmas gifts to abandoned tigers.
Other organizations, I tried to join. I thought that it would be a good and worthwhile activity to donate my time and efforts helping the target of these charities. Without fail, they did not want me; just my money.
I volunteered for the Big Brothers, Big Sisters organization. When I hesitated to accept a young drug addict, who had stabbed his mother and burnt down the local public library, as my little brother, they blackballed my application. But I still get requests for sending them my money.
So, I am asking of those who like to give to charities "How do you know your money is actually going to those targeted by that charity?" I once read that the promoters of charities can take as much as 80% of total donations as their commission.
How do you know.

[Toyz]

Alot appear to be rip-offs designed to profit already wealthy individuals. I thought it strange that Goodwill was greatly expanding their store operations. Now it seems that the highly paid CEO might just have figured how to develop a very personally profitable business with minimal labor costs. I believe I would check with a reputable agency, if such can be found, to vett any supposed non-profit asking for contributions.
Paul

[slick4x4]

I donate blood about twice a year
Doesn't cost me anything... Probably helps somebody
Only time I give $ is to local people with problems

[skidoorulz]

Do some research. There is info out there that I have read that shows what percentage donated to charities actually make it to the charity and not employees and CEO's. I believe if I remember correctly the Salvation Army is one charity where 100% of donations go to help others. All work is done by volunteers including the CEO. I believe. I could be thinking of another, but the info is out there. Also your church may be able to help answer that question as well.

[shipwrecked]

The military and federal employees get hit up once a year by the Combined Federal Campaign. YEARS ago long before my time, charities would line up at the military base gates on pay day and ask for donations. (that is what an old Navy WAVE told me) She said that it was impossible to get off the navy base in San Diego without giving half your paycheck to them. And that you never knew if they were legit business or not. That all changed and now we use the CFC.

The CFC is a huge collection of all the charities and have to provide the cost of operation, get audited and must be in good standing in order to be on their book. the AFR is the percentage of cost of operation. The higher the percentage is not good.

http://www.CFCNA.ORG

Do a quick search in that and here are some examples. These were just random sort of search. You can type anything into the search and something will come up. You want underpaid circus monkeys to learn underwater basket weaving, I am sure there is a charity for that.


Fisher House of Joint Base Lewis-McCord
CFC Code 56608

The Fisher House provides temporary residence, social advocacy and material support to families of seriously ill patients receiving care at Madigan Army Medical Center.

AFR 0%
I donate to that organization every year. when I was in the hospital at Madigan for the cancer surgery, They allowed my parents to stay there at the Fisher House. Their home was over 200 miles away, and my house was 75 miles away. It was best for them to stay at the fisher house then drive back and forth every day for 8 days.

Wounded Warrior Project
CFC Code 11425
Mission is to honor and empower wounded warriors.
AFR 17.4%

_They were recently in a scandal of misappropriated funds and employees getting lavish hotels, gifts, etc. I will not wear their branded clothing or donate to them.

Black student fund
CFC Code 99970

Their purpose is to " provides support services and educational preparedness increasing access, equity, retention and graduation among moderate income African-American student households in the Washington metropolitan area independent schools.
AFR% is 30.5%

That 30.5% means that for every one dollar contributed, 30.5 % of it is going to the administration of that organization. That huge and not providing enough towards the children in my book.

Susan G Komen Foundation (the Breast Cancer prink ribbon everything!)
CFC code 17748
Komen Promise: To save lives and end breast cancer forever by empowering people, ensuring quality care for all and energizing science to find cures.

AFR 6.8%

I do suspect that there is a lot more to their organization cost of business since they advertise so much, and everything pink is branded with their foundation. tread lightly.

[grump]

Way back when I used to actually answer the phone I would ask whoever was asking for my money, how much went to the named charity and how much they kept. It was usually about a 65%= 35% to 85%-15% split with the charity getting the lower number. I called the headquarters of one of the charities and asked about the lack of equality of the split and the lady said as bad as that sounded they still got more money that way than when they tried to fund raise themselves. That's pretty sad. That said, the Fisher House is a good charity, it provides a place for families of wounded service members to stay so they can be close to their loved ones.

[64 f100]

Every year we hold the cancer walk here in Carmi, IL. My wife was heavily involved in helping to put on the walk for many years. She received nothing for helping and it usually cost us money in both costs and donations. This has been ongoing for years now, and I have no idea how much actually ends up dong any good for the cancer patients. By now the total amount collected has to be in the billions from all of these walks. I have no idea who or where all the money goes. I no longer support the walk although my wife does. Any time you have money involved I get suspicious. Not all of these charities are crooked but who knows for a fact which are and are not. I have in the past regretted not donating money to someone on hard times. A few years ago, I stopped in at a small garage on the side of the road. I walked in thinking the owner of the property was in there. Instead of the owner, there was a very thin man in dirty overalls with sunken and hollow eyes, trying to work on a car. With him was a young girl dressed in a very flimsy worn out dress, playing barefoot on the dirty floor. He had obviously fallen on hard times. I turned around and left, but regretted the action of not talking to him, and as I drove off, I thought I should have offered a gift for him and his daughter. The next day, he shot himself. This has left a sore spot on my soul ever since. Charity begins at home, and helping people we know is more important than helping people we don't, but in this instance, I regret so much not offering some help. The couple hundred I had on me at the time would have been next to nothing when compared to the pain I have felt since, or my lack of not trying. Giving to giant money grubbing organizations is not my thing. In town we have a y intersection with a church in the middle of the y. This intersection is often the place that people set up in to try and collect money for every little thing that comes along. I quit giving because I'm tired of being held up there when driving to and from the downtown. I was held up there the other day, because a person I knew had pulled to the right to avoid donating. In doing so, they had moved to the right of the signal switch buried in the asphalt, as a result the light did not change for a very long time. I finally turned around in the middle of the street and went the other direction. Not a very bright act , but this is Carmi, IL. and here people stop in the middle of the street, and talk to each other while driving in different directions.

Rich

[unibody madness]

I get calls from fire fighters, police, and police chief organizations, all people I would consider donating to. Years ago I was a Police explorer and asked my local police chief about this charity and he knew nothing about it. I now tell the telemarketer I would be happy to give them a check for a sizable amount, please send a unit to my door, no takers to date...going on 45 years...still no takers.
I do not give a dime to telemarketers, period.

[castruck_1964]

Salvation Army here takes 9% for administration 4% for fund raising and the rest is used for actual Charity Work.
Good will closed up shop here after a scandal where the stores were running at a loss due to mismanagement, high operating costs and payment of executives.

[Doc Pepper]

A few years back, I was driving through New Mexico and I saw a woman with three dogs thumbing a ride. I figured that nobody in a clean car would offer to give her a lift, so I offered her the back of my pickup. We drove well over fifty miles to her destination, which was nothing more that a fork in the road.
As I helped her and the dogs out of the truck, I asked her if the dogs might like some food (I always carry dog food when I travel with my coyote). She accepted, so I placed a small amount of dog food on the ground. The two larger dogs attacked the food so voraciously that the third and littlest dog could not eat. It was clear that these animals had not eaten for quite some time.
I took a small amount of dog food out of the bag and was about to hand feed the smaller dog when it almost took my hand off going for the food. So, as was the standard practice when feeding a dog that did not understand how to be gentle, I gently grabbed the back of the dog's neck (as a mother dog wood do when picking it up). This prevents the animal from lunging or snapping at the food in your hand. I barely got my hand on the animal when the woman screamed that I was torturing her dog and that I was evil and she wished that there was a cop around to arrest me.
I dropped the portion of food that I was holding, and tried to explain what was going on, but she would hear no part of it. She grabbed the three dogs and rushed away.
I felt so bad, so low, even after I had driven this woman and her {quite dirty} dogs all that way.
I just gave a lift to a very unkempt woman with three mangy dogs, all in need of treatment. And all I could feel was remorse for my ... "charity."

[29rpu]

Ask your local high school what CTE ( Career in Technical Education) shop classes they offer. Donate the auto shop, wood shop some thing like that

[orangeRcode]

It's been over 20 years ago but I had a great experience with BB/BS organization. I went through the background check and training process. I was given several different boys to be matched with. The boy I picked was matched with me from age 8-16 eventhough they only required a 1 year commentment. I felt like I had a positive inpact on him and we enjoyed each others company. I ran into his mother at Walmart one time years ago. She said he had successfully attended a votech and learned a trade. He was married and had a good job. Wished everything turned out that well.