Give Till It Hurts

[bluegargantua]

Hey,

Do you give to charity(ies)? If so, how did you decide that this was a charity you wanted to donate to? I'm trying to figure out some system of charitable giving and I'm using Charity Navigator to get a sense of what's out there and what kinds of organizations get their work done as opposed to funding their next fundraiser. They suggest (and a little googling around backs this up), that rather than give to a wide range of organizations, make bigger contributions to a few charities that you really care about. But there's a lot of good causes out there that could use some cash. How do you go about choosing?

later
Tom

Comments

From someone who works in philanthropy...

[badseed1980.livejournal.com]

For the most part, I do micro-loans instead. I like it because I can make a difference for people by allowing them the opportunity to help themselves. At this stage in my life, it's easier for me financially. I intend to up my philanthropic giving later in life. Now, I generally only make actual philanthropic gifts when my friends are raising funds for charity through some effort of theirs.

For sure, there are a lot of good causes out there. I think the best thing you can do is really do some in-depth research. Choose a few causes that really capture your interest. Is there any cause where, if you got the update in the mail or e-mail about the work they've done in the past year, you'd be interested and actually want to read it instead of just glancing at it and tossing it in the recycling? Those are the causes where giving to them will give you the greatest personal satisfaction. The causes that give you the greatest satisfaction are the ones where you'll be the most likely to put yourself out there enough to really make a difference.

Another thing to look at is, how is this organization accomplishing its goals? What are people saying about its methods and its results? Do you approve, and are you impressed? You want to work with organizations that you can really stand behind as organizations.

One thing that may be a factor in both of these is, how deeply involved are YOU going to be, in addition to just writing a check? Do you have the opportunity to volunteer, or to personally witness what's being done with your gift (and do you want to do so)? This kind of involvement can really strengthen a philanthropic relationship.

I think that for me, one cause I really would like to give to more seriously in the future is literacy, for both adults and children. I already volunteer in a reading mentorship program. Books and reading have always been extremely near and dear to my heart. Participating in stuff of this nature is exciting to me, and makes me happy. I also think it's of vital importance for the future of society. That's why I think it's going to be one of my major philanthropic causes when I am more able to give.

[muffyjo]

Most of my charitable giving goes to Theatre at First (hey, they're a 501c3 non-profit organization!). Of course, I also give to Public Radio and towards fundraising events that affect my local friends, when I can afford it. If someone is walking for a cause for a group whose large percentage of money (>80%) goes to the actual cause...I love to donate. If they're selling girl scout cookies, I like to buy. That sort of thing. Investing locally in the people of my life.

[metagnat.livejournal.com]

I have given to charity when I have extra money. I have used charity navigator and other rating sites to get an idea of how the money goes. I do lean more towards charities people I know have worked for.

Most of my giving is aimed at providing basic necessities for people (my one exception to that rule is semi-regular donations to WGBH, which I listen to & watch pretty frequently). I tried to split what I had by alternating between local charities (usually the greater Boston food bank) and international charities (usually Plan USA or The Heifer Project).

I also occasionally give to other organizations that catch my attention, or are in a crisis. For instance, if I had extra money this week it might have gone to the Lyon Martin health clinic. (http://www.lyon-martin.org/index.php). Or I give to people fund raising for themselves on the internet due to medical conditions, etc. It's not tax-deductible, but it's very satisfying.

-E

[debsquared.livejournal.com]

I give to programs focused on hunger, hospice, and education. Sometimes I'll add medical research and the arts. Like yourself, I've also used Charity Navigator to evaluate organizations working in my areas of interest.

[spiritseeker.livejournal.com]

Our overall criteria:

1. It has an agenda we want to support.


2. It addresses root causes wherever possible


3. It uses methods we feel are wise and moral both in the near term and the far term.


4. A large portion of its resources are passed through to its goal (not retained for internal costs.


Recently we've been focusing on organizations that provide essential services in the Boston area, like Food Banks. We also give to NPR in those years where they don't call us to solicit funds.

[dancingwolfgrrl.livejournal.com]

So on the logistical side, I basically glance at the administrative costs percentage to make sure it's not ludicrous and move on. I recognize this is a little bit lassiez-faire, but I also have spent my entire working life in non-profits, and therefore probably have an excess of sympathy for the costs of running an organization.

On the practical side, I give mostly to causes centering around non-dying (in the short term, Doctors without Borders and hunger relief; in the long-term, Kiva). I also give to a couple of other things I care about a lot or personally use -- in my case, pro-choice causes and local food orgs.

[z-gryphon.livejournal.com]

The only safe course of action: don't give to charity. Because if you do, all the other charities in the world will phone you up within a week. This is more tsuris than the warm glow of philanthropy can offset.