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For me, the greater question is why so few of us make the effort to try and help the less fortunate or the worthy causes.
Because we don't trust the agencies dishing out the funds to the needy.
Also, I'm paying a heck of a lot in taxes to support the retired currently on Social Security (I don't have a chance in hell of getting any) and for those on welfare (including those who are able to work but refuse because it's more profitable to get my tax money than it is to go out and actually earn $5 or $6 an hour).
So my contributions would begin at home with my kids, who all need $$ to make their lives easier, as well as those of my family and friends - ditto. SIDS awareness and research (this one hit home this year) would get a big chunk. Then I'd worry about how I would get money to those who truly need it without funneling it into some greedy organization with high-paid administrators.
Also, in regards to animal overpopulation and control, the same could be said of humans - AIDS, the plague, polio....all the stuff that over the years has also thinned out the population to some degree or another.
Originally Posted by rjosey8385,Oct 12 2004, 10:58 AM
Because we don't trust the agencies dishing out the funds to the needy.........
Excuuuuuuuuuuse me....this is a lame excuse There are websites that allow you to find out which charities give the highest % of their revenues to actual helping programs. Some of the best are IRC (International Rescue Committee), The Salvation Army, and many of the health-related non-profits. As some of you know, I'm involved in Habitat for Humanity....another good cause...although their admin % is a little higher than some others
I can post a link to the rating agencies if anyone is interested....won't hold my breath b/c 93 Octane i$ going up in price. We folk$ have our prioritie$....
I think you are wrong to dismiss rjosey's point about inefficiency and corruption so quickly. I think a lot of people feel this way, and I definitely understand how this makes folks gun shy.
I will never forget how the head guy of the United Way stole a lot of money a few years back. Since then, I have never trusted this organization, yet my company continues to work with them. We also have a friend who is involved in a fairly substantial, local, charitable non-profit, and she has been telling us horror stories about theft as well. I simply cannot understand how people put in charge of these non-profits can be such heels, but it happens... more than we'd like it to!
For me, I have the unfortunate situation at my company that UW the best viable donation mechanism. The Maynard (local) chapter seems to be a reasonable bunch, but I refuse to trust them, so I do not participate in this program. I'd prefer us to have a matching grant program, and I have volunteered to assist with setting it up, but the pool of money set aside by my company is just too small to make it worthwhile in the context of ~900 employees. Very frustrating.
All that said, I make a concerted effort annually to go through *all* the solicitation email that I, personally, receive over the year and make direct donations to the best organizations I can find. Over the years, this has become a somewhat daunting effort and not a little tedious, but I consider it my duty to do this. This is how I was raised.
For your amusement, below is a silly picture I took last December of "donation central" at casa Chazmo. My wife laughs at me when I do this, but it's my way of giving. The last picture is the amount of waste from all those letters I sift through (and that's not all)! :
If I could change the world through money I would spend it on education. I would focus on critical thinking skills as much as history and math.
Education is the cornerstone to civil society, IMHO. An educated population is more aware of their surroundings and more able to take care of themselves as well as interact with each other. I would work to level this playing field through both standard education as well as technology. Access to information, and the ability to decipher and internalize the data, is the key to power.
I would spend my TIME focusing on foreign policy and international relations. I would try to engage various parties in an effort to resolve conflicts without having to resort to loss of life whenever possible.
For your amusement, below is a silly picture I took last December of "donation central" at casa Chazmo. My wife laughs at me when I do this, but it's my way of giving. The last picture is the amount of waste from all those letters I sift through (and that's not all)! :
Charlie,
I understandyour pictures. We receive on average ~3-5 solicitations a week. We genereally do donations twice a year, summer and year end. I find it truly amazing how much money is spent on soliciting. My wife has stopped donating to some organization because of the constant barrage of mail.
That being said...we contribute to a number of charities and it helps me feel like I am doing a small part in the grand scheme of things, but the mailings are WAY over the top.
rjosey8385,
If you are concerned about donating money, why noy give some time. There are many organizations that could always use a hand. i.e. The county that I live in has an outreach program for victims of domestic abuse. Volunteers are on call to help victims when they need help. No money is donated by anyone, there is only that opportunity to help others.
If you are concerned about donating money, why noy give some time. There are many organizations that could always use a hand. i.e. The county that I live in has an outreach program for victims of domestic abuse. Volunteers are on call to help victims when they need help. No money is donated by anyone, there is only that opportunity to help others.
That's a good idea - now where to find the time??? Most organizations want a committment of about 3 hours a week on a regular schedule. My husband and I do organize a Tour of Lights for area British car clubs at the Christmas and collect several large trash bags full of new today, which are donated to an area hospital (Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children) that specializes in orthopedic surgery (among other needs that they're less known for) that is provided free to children, regardless of family income level (the hospital doesn't even have a business office and doesn't bill insurance - strictly on a donation basis). I'm very comfortable providing donations to organizations that I know. I would, however, like to have the link that PAS2K offered to provide earlier to the rating agency. This year we lost a beautiful 5-month-old grandbaby to SIDS, and that is an organization I'd like to see thrive.
10-12-2004, 07:58 AM
There are websites that allow you to find out which charities give the highest % of their revenues to actual helping programs. Some of the best are IRC (International Rescue Committee), The Salvation Army, and many of the health-related non-profits. As some of you know, I'm involved in Habitat for Humanity....another good cause...although their admin % is a little higher than some others 
:
That's truly awful.
