noodlebee

Sorry, but this is going to sound very general because I still need to do a lot of reading to understand the issue. And research or asking people about this seems to be very difficult, especially to find ideas generally agreed upon.

Since this is such a huge online community, it is safe to say a lot of you have done volunteer work or donated to charity, right? How do you usually decide what organisation to spend your work and/or money on? I have asked a few people in person that I trust to give educated responses and a certain volunteer leader online but some of the opinions don't match up, or I have problems accepting fully.

One has said well-known organisations like Red Cross are reliable, because they are huge and it is difficult to be corrupt without having some well-meaning volunteer or employee shout out against them. However, the counter-argument from another person is that they are huge and ineffective, like a lot of money donations end up being used as wages for employees. Or that donations for reparations after Hurricane Katrina (example) end up only having a fraction allocated to that specific cause and the rest goes to other things.

Most people I talked to have agreed that it is good to donate money only after you have personally helped in an organisation, so you know how well it is run and how resources are used. In general, this is a good idea but with my past experiences, there are times when I feel like I am being cheated as a volunteer. We get pamphlets of money allocation or what volunteers accomplished. Those pamphlets are very rose-tinted and don't tell you how some of the nurses, for example, scream and talk down to the elderly like they are stupid and useless kids. It gets dismissed. I don't want to tell personal details, but think of a similar environment like this: http://www.slowchildren-atplay.com/ ....I cannot decide if I am contributing to a mess for volunteering alongside employers/volunteers like that, but it also hurts to know that the people who need help just continue to cry for someone to care after you leave.

Another thing that seems agreed upon is that religious organisations should not be trusted because it is hard to tell how much resources are used for conversion. Well, possibly. But one friend has said that they build a sense of community in places where everyone is scattered and suspicious of everyone else. The place of worship is built and becomes a gathering area for regular and frequent activities, even for things outside of worship, like practical skill classes or feeding the homeless. But it's hard to say. It is like they foster unity and discrimination simultaneously.

Well....this is long enough. I will maybe say more later. Please tell me how you choose to volunteer/donate. My mixed emotions have lasted for many months now, with no resolution.

Oh, and is the search very accurate? When I tried to look for "charity" or "volunteer" on the forum search, a lot of the results point to other things. Or do the keywords need to be more specific?

clavus

Look at the organization's track record. Red Cross misapprpriated huge sums of money that was supposed to help the victims of 911. They didn't do so hot after Katrina either.

Talk to those who the charity helped. From what I heard, the Salvation Army gives everything they have, the shirts off their backs quite literally, when they show up.

Found your own charity. Hey, it's an option.

__________________
Ass, gas or grass. Nobody rides for free.

noodlebee

Founding your own charity needs capital. It needs a founder with good education and organisation skills. I have neither, and studying for the latter. Plus, even after founding your charity, how can you predict if it is running at maximum efficiency and benefiting people instead of becoming a money leech?

You did not answer my original question. How do you decide which organisation to contribute to?

kurty[B]

I try to avoid just shoveling out money, I'd rather donate my time. I do what makes me feel good afterwards, and what directly effects me.

I go with friends to retrieve firewood in the fall to cut down on deadwood that would fuel fires the next summer. I go to Arbor Day festivals and plant trees. I'll test-drive BMWs to support Breast Cancer research (it's fun, and takes no money on my part). I'll walk a 10K for Lupus, or go skiing with handicapped skiers. I'll donate to organizations that are trying to build more bike paths in my county, state or nation.

Call me selfish, but I donate to what directly affects me. If I have friends suffering from a disease, or just feeling better that hopefully I can contribute to a better future for myself, family and friends.

Xazy

I give over 10% of income pre-tax to charitey, which is a Jewish religeous thing. I am very careful in where I give the money, and probably every year the breakdown where I give changes. But my belief tends to be to give if it can help friends/family first (I consider that to be charitey if they need help), then local organizations, then anywhere else.

I used to do be very active in different organizations but got tired of all the different community politics, so now I support them only financially (also I am married and have less time for that).

But to me the key is find something you believe in get to know the organization well, then support. A local organization started doing something I really disagree with, supporting an individual by giving him a large salary for doing nothing, while I like the idea but I am not giving money to them to support him I am giving them for some other reasons. So they lost my support and I told one of the heads exactly why.

I find it sad how people can just give to an organization that may support a good cause without doing any investigation. My wife worked for an organazation that helped 9-11 victoms (well the children of), and it was funded largely by the Red Cross. And the organization had so much waste and really by and large was very ineffective and did nothing. Yet millions went in to it.

lurkette

If you're looking at national or regional charities, an organization like charitywatch.org or charitynavigator.org should have statistics on how a charity uses its resources. For local charities, you should be able to request annual reports and even a financial audit if it's publicly funded.

Start with the organizations that work in the area you're most passionate about. Then do your research, online or by requesting information from the charity itself.

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"If ten million people believe a foolish thing, it is still a foolish thing."

- Anatole France

ShaniFaye

Lurkette already mentioned charitywatch, you can also look at this one www.give.org

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jorgelito

Yes the 10% thing is very common among the big three faiths.

I think generally, people should really do their research first into these charities first before giving their money away.

I too have heard that Red Cross is pretty sketchy.

Thanks for the link Shani, that is very useful.

noodlebee

Xazy, the example you gave for not supporting an organisation you were previously OK with is relatively simple. In the case I presented, where you volunteer at an elderly home, it is harder because even after you leave, the home still exists and functions mainly as a commercial thing while volunteers are secondary. The people inside still suffer regardless. Leaving means one less person to help avoid condescending nurses. I am very bad at confronting people so I never commented about their attitude. Afterwards, I left when they expanded and moved to a place too far away.

Both Kurty and Xazy have made a good point about helping with things more personal. This would be easier if I were in my home country all the time. I am studying in Canada, but always liked volunteering. Friends in university or work don't really need any sort of charity. :P Just consider me as starting from scratch.

And I have bookmarked the websites you gave me. Thank you very much. I took a quick glance and they focus a lot more on USA instead of Canada, with the exception of some that are more international.

Beyond just looking at financial reports of these places, how can you judge that the manpower is used effectively? This is the biggest issue. I would not have known about condescending nurses in elderly homes or crazy instructors in primary schools if I hadn't participated at all. It was only during and after the experience that I knew. Is there some method to predict beforehand? I want to know because I am thinking of trying to do something in another foreign country, at least just to experience. But I am completely a newbie for that.

Demeter

I've done a little fundraising, and like to give to charities that help children. It seems very rewarding to be able to be a positive influence, somehow, on a life that yet has much hope and room for improvement. I also prefer to donate money to a charity that uses the money locally. I've donated to everything from medical equipment for hospitals, funding for computers for a school, cancer-stricken children, a burn unit, a woman's shelter, a men's shelter, a youth shelter, and the SPCA.
I also donate part of my check to the Heart and Stroke fund, because heart disease has cost me two people I loved dearly. My mother, for years, worked at a charity that provided horse-riding to disabled children. She found it very rewarding.

Contacting charitable organizations for info on their causes is a good way to start, of course, the information they send you is going to be very bloated with their praise and ambitions, but then you can always google to find out if they've had some shady dealings as well.

In the end, I donate to where my heart pulls me. There may be a volunteer association in your town/city that acts as a network between people who want to volunteer and the organizations that need help. They would probably provide a wealth of suggestions as well. And don't be afraid to talk to volunteers and ask who they got the most satisfaction working for.

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I am not bound to please thee with my answers.
William Shakespeare

cyklone

Personally I think that the best form of charity is your own time and it is best donated in you own home, own neighbourhood, own town etc. I set aside time within my profession to do some work pro bono as my contribution, because that suits me.
Of the international organisations my preference is world vision (don't know if it is in USA) because they have the reputation of spending all their donations towards support of third world countries.