Choosing a Charity

samammay
samammay Posts: 468
in Chit-Chat
I don't really participate in other group discussions/forums so you are my peeps here.

How do you decide who/what organization to give money to at Christmas time? Its rolling around again and I have too much money.

Seriously though... we have had an exceptionally fortunate year and want to share with others who need it, but how do I choose? About all I know is we do not want to support the huge national/international charities. We want to keep it close to home, which has been hit pretty hard the last few years with some of the NASA cutbacks (I live near Cape Canaveral, FL)

Is it as simple as 'pick one at random that is aiming to do the things I want to support' or is there more to it?
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Replies

  • randomtai
    randomtai Posts: 9,003 Member
    Donate all your extra money to me. Problem solved. :flowerforyou:
  • wjstoj
    wjstoj Posts: 884 Member
    www.guidestar.org to review charities to make sure they are legit and to review how they spend their money.

    Otherwise, yeah...go with your head and heart
  • sillygoosie
    sillygoosie Posts: 1,109 Member
    Try to find a Giving Tree in your area. Your money/gifts can go directly to a family that you choose. Also look into your local food banks or shelters.

    ...and good on you for thinking of others when you've had a good year. Some would only think of having more for themselves. :flowerforyou:
  • Cre8veLifeR
    Cre8veLifeR Posts: 1,062 Member
    Every year we give gifts to a local group home for children who come from abusive homes. I have my children shop for children their age. I want them to know that they are fortunate and not every child lives like they do: loved, respected, treasured and safe.

    There are TONS of local charities everywhere that help people right in your own backyard.

    Give to one that touches your :heart: and is meaningful to you. :smile:
  • whierd
    whierd Posts: 14,025 Member
    Why not give throughout the year instead of just at Christmas?
  • samammay
    samammay Posts: 468
    Every year we give gifts to a local group home for children who come from abusive homes. I have my children shop for children their age. I want them to know that they are fortunate and not every child lives like they do: loved, respected, treasured and safe.

    There are TONS of local charities everywhere that help people right in your own backyard.

    Give to one that touches your :heart: and is meaningful to you. :smile:

    That's my dilemma... there are TONS of them. My church supports 3 - all of which are special. One is a food bank, one is a group home for abused children and one is an after school program for at risk youth. My MIL is involved in several others, all of which support kids.

    I guess what im asking is 'is there a way to pick' and more importantly, is there a wrong answer?
  • samammay
    samammay Posts: 468
    Why not give throughout the year instead of just at Christmas?

    We do. We were just looking to do something special on top of that for Christmas this year.
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  • heylookitsval
    heylookitsval Posts: 1,141 Member
    We all know you really made this thread to show us all how poor we really are.
  • randomtai
    randomtai Posts: 9,003 Member
    We all know you really made this thread to show us all how poor we really are.

    tumblr_mbjhu1ejmg1qhc01ao1_500.gif
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    I would support a charity I knew used more money for its purpose than to pay its administrators and that was something I believed strongly in. More than likely, I'd give to a local animal or women's shelter.
  • samammay
    samammay Posts: 468
    We all know you really made this thread to show us all how poor we really are.

    Yeah - ya got me. Totally how I roll. :smile:
  • whierd
    whierd Posts: 14,025 Member
    Why not give throughout the year instead of just at Christmas?

    We do. We were just looking to do something special on top of that for Christmas this year.

    Homeless people then.

    Homeless people is always a worthy choice. My favorite charity is donating money to the White House Italian Steak house in Anaheim. They feed 300 motel kids per night and also collect monetary donations to help their families with down payments/security deposits for new homes. They take money and pasta ingredients.
  • exquisitelyimprobable
    exquisitelyimprobable Posts: 8
    www.guidestar.org to review charities to make sure they are legit and to review how they spend their money.

    Otherwise, yeah...go with your head and heart

    This. Please check them out first. I just advised a girl about guidestar earlier today who was raising money for a charity where a majority of the revenue was going to the leader's salary.
  • whierd
    whierd Posts: 14,025 Member
    I would support a charity I knew used more money for its purpose than to pay its administrators and that was something I believed strongly in. More than likely, I'd give to a local animal or women's shelter.

    Yeah, I look for more local charities that do not suck up the donations as payroll.
  • sullus
    sullus Posts: 2,839 Member
    I'd give to a charity that is local and small. Your money will make a bigger difference there than it will to a large national cause.
  • Ed98043
    Ed98043 Posts: 1,333 Member
    I'd give to a charity that is local and small. Your money will make a bigger difference there than it will to a large national cause.

    That's usually what I do. I try to donate every month to something...usually animal rescue. I think the only nationally-known charity I give to is Sea Shepherd (that's not counting one-off donations like for the Boston bombing victims).

    The beauty of smaller, local charities is that you're helping those in your own community, and they're not spending your money on things like salaries, mass-mailers, lobbyists, etc. There are some charities that devote literally less than 2% of their donations to the actual needy.
  • Timshel_
    Timshel_ Posts: 22,834 Member
    How do you decide who/what organization to give money to at Christmas time?

    We give year round to our church, several Christian organizations, and a few other humanitarian efforts. We donate time and energy at the public schools and other places. Around Christmas we all go through our house and find things that might be able to be donated to Salvation Army or Goodwill, as well as doing a lot of the Toys for Tots drop offs.

    Choice is really yours. Time is as good, if not better than money.
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  • ldrosophila
    ldrosophila Posts: 7,512 Member
    toys for tots watching those kids open up presents is such a cool experience. otherwise i agree with another poster I'll accept donations.

    The few I've belonged to are Animal Human, Vital Life Foundation, and St. Baldricks.
  • Derpes
    Derpes Posts: 2,033 Member
    Examine how efficient they are by:

    - Looking at how much of their budget is spent on fundraising/overhead costs - the lower the better

    -Can they demonstrate measurable results? Look and even ask for statistics
  • whierd
    whierd Posts: 14,025 Member
    toys for tots watching those kids open up presents is such a cool experience. otherwise i agree with another poster I'll accept donations.

    That one is really near and dear to my heart. I grew up poor so T4T was common in our house at Christmas. It definitely made it a more enjoyable experience for me.
  • rachelmorgan77
    rachelmorgan77 Posts: 131 Member
    Give to charities that you feel strongly about. Got in shape at the Y? Then donate to them. Is your mother in a long term care facility? If they're a non-profit, they would probably love a donation. Do the arts bring you joy? Then what about your local community theatre or performing arts center? Do you have a local community foundation? We have one in our town, and they house funds for other non profits in town as well as distribute grants and scholarships. They might have a good idea of what is needed out there in the community, and their entire purpose is to match donors to projects/organizations they love. Depending on the size of gift, you could always consider setting up an endowed scholarship fund, so you know it will be around forever. Good luck!
  • ldrosophila
    ldrosophila Posts: 7,512 Member
    toys for tots watching those kids open up presents is such a cool experience. otherwise i agree with another poster I'll accept donations.

    That one is really near and dear to my heart. I grew up poor so T4T was common in our house at Christmas. It definitely made it a more enjoyable experience for me.


    http://www.toysfortots.org/

    Looks like you can make monetary donations if you dont have time to buy toys
  • TheRoadDog
    TheRoadDog Posts: 11,788 Member
    Charity begins at home. Open up a College Fund for your child.
  • SOCOLOCO87
    SOCOLOCO87 Posts: 128 Member
    Wounded warrior project
  • samammay
    samammay Posts: 468
    toys for tots watching those kids open up presents is such a cool experience. otherwise i agree with another poster I'll accept donations.

    The few I've belonged to are Animal Human, Vital Life Foundation, and St. Baldricks.

    Thats a really good idea. I love the idea of T4T. Every kid deserves a present.

    We volunteered at the St Baldricks event this summer. It was special.
  • ldrosophila
    ldrosophila Posts: 7,512 Member


    We volunteered at the St Baldricks event this summer. It was special.

    Oh that's so awesome! I didnt raise much money for them, but it was an amazing experience. I gotta post the link!

    http://www.stbaldricks.org/
  • walleyclan1
    walleyclan1 Posts: 2,784 Member
    I prefer, if possible, to donate to causes that will have a long lasting impact on people. For example, I have participated in donations to Samaritan's Purse in the past, and you can purchase a goat, or group of chickens, or stock a fishing pond etc. This type of donation will allow the family blessed with the gift to have a food source for a long period of time and also the ability to barter or sell their product. The whole "give a man a fish and he will eat for a day...." philosophy

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