Charity

[diggitydot]

Being shit poor for most of the last decade, I volunteer my time rather than give money. I usually find food banks to volunteer in, but I'm exploring working with our county's CASA group. Looks like here they mainly work with kids who are in foster care or have significant disabilities, not just kids who are crime victims or witnesses.

[Liisi]

DD, I've thought of becoming a CASA... half filled out the application and then got involved with other projects... but maybe someday!!

I sponsor a girl in Bolivia through Plan International, and we give Kiva microloans and donate to Breast Cancer Action and the local Women's Crisis Center.

[MsSassyBaskets]

I don't have a set charity that I donate to monthly. I used to do ASPCA but was fed up with the amount of money being spent on things other than helping animals.

We also tend to donate to friends/family who are doing races/walks because we have found more of the donation actually does work rather then pay for administrative stuff.

To clarify: gifts to special events like runs/walks are usually considered "general operating" funds and go to fund the organization's entire mission, a part of which is the necessary but evil overhead. It may be true that organizations that receive a significant portion of their revenue from special events (the org. I work for is like this) don't have to spend as much money on high-cost fundraising like direct mail and telemarketing. Overhead costs of up to 30% are considered normal and responsible. You can use CharityNavigator.org to see how much of the organization's expenses are program-related. If that number is 70% or greater, you can feel pretty good about how your funds are being used. However, these numbers aren't accurate for organizations like a "Friends of the Library" or something similar, because the organization is fundraising only, while another fiscal entity is the one actually performing the programs in question.

Because of my career in nonprofits, I'm fairly skeptical about where I donate. We don't do any donating right now because of med school, but in the past have donated to public radio because it's a service we use, and to organizations that I've worked for. We've volunteered providing crisis mental health counseling at a community organization, and we've occasionally supported local animal rescue organizations. In the future when money isn't as tight I'll probably support my local NPR station and a local no-kill animal shelter, and I'll seek out a couple organizations to support around local and international poverty relief -- maybe kiva/microloans for international, and whatever local/regional secular poverty relief/job training program is most effective where we're living at the time. Plus whatever nonprofit org. I'm working for at that time. I'll probably also continue to donate to 501c4 progressive policy organizations or political campaigns, because sadly, through my career I've learned that nonprofits are a tiny, fraying patch on a gaping wound and we need significant policy change to protect and support all people.

[SuzySunshine]

Ooh we also donate to public radio, we still support the MPR station The Current because we LOVE it and listen to it online whenever possible.

I'm asking a friend of mine who is tied into the military if she can find me a good adopt a family type thing for Christmas, I would especially like to do a young family who will be missing a parent at the holiday.

[diggitydot]

Charity Navigator is a MUST for checking out groups. They have pretty comprehensive studies and since they don't take advertisers, they are impartial.

One of my friends has been the CFO of a couple of non-profits and she is a wealth if information on this subject.

[MsSassyBaskets]

Ooh we also donate to public radio, we still support the MPR station The Current because we LOVE it and listen to it online whenever possible.

I'm asking a friend of mine who is tied into the military if she can find me a good adopt a family type thing for Christmas, I would especially like to do a young family who will be missing a parent at the holiday.

LOVE the Current. I miss it so much, and I always forget that I can stream it online!