who do you donate to?

[Underhill]

Most of the info on the chart in the OP is incorrect. Just FYI.

Yep.

snopes.com: Executive Salaries in Charities

Personally I give to Responsible Charity and the BSA.

 

[hortysir]

10 Highly-Rated Charities with Low Paid CEOs

The leaders of these 10 organizations run highly-rated charities, yet they earn far less than the average compensation of $150,000 reported by the over 5,000 charities rated by Charity Navigator. The low salaries help these charities, which have earned at least two consecutive 4-star ratings, devote more than 80% of their budgets to their programs and services. That means that less than 20% of your dollars are going to such costs as fundraising and administration, including the salary of the CEO. The list is ranked by the CEO's compensation.
Rank Charity CEO Salary
1 Michigan Anti-Cruelty Society $21,125
2 Edwin L. Hodges Ministries $28,932
3 Mission Waco Mission World $39,239
4 Days End Farm Horse Rescue $42,466
5 Reaching Souls International $47,789
6 Habitat For Humanity of Spartanburg $52,213
7 New Mission Systems International $52,403
8 Together We Cope $55,467
9 International Child Care $57,270
10 Chattanooga Area Food Bank $58,433

 

[oldfart]

Personally I tend to donate mostly to local branches of large organizations, but here are my regulars:

Southern Poverty Law Center Teaching Tolerance Program
Local Scouting units and Order of the Arrow
Salvation Army
Lion's Club Eye Bank
discretionary principal's funds at several public schools
a family sponsored private chraritable foundation

 

[tinydancer]

A lot of years, a lot of tears, a lot of trying to make things right in this universe.

But for everything I have ever loved doing was being involved in introducing a pet program into Mount Sinai up here for the terminally ill.

I'd come off my days in rock, ended up working with beasties and while I was with PJ's started a round circle of babies I'd bring to the hospital on a regular basis.

From cockatoos to budgies, from pomeranian fluff pups to great pyrenees pups my bosses there let me take them to this program. Suzie came with me on a couple.

The program worked. And those that tried to say it wouldn't were horrible idiots who thought all my babies would make their patients sicker even though they were terminal.

I've never thought helping my fellow man was charity though. I remember each of their faces.

Gets back to what my Baba always said. Walk a mile, walk a mile in their shoes. Here were people looking at death square in the face and loving every minute of me bringing my amazon down to crack them up. She was a smart ass yellow nape.

Bringing in this one baby St. Bernard. They all touched him.

We had a lot of fun. Brave souls.

Charity is from the heart and soul. And cannot be pinned by a dollar amount.

Here endeth the lesson. Hey I couldn't help it. I've been dying to use that line.

 

[Spoonman]

Eva's kitchen
God's love we deliver (time and money to both of these)
food for the poor
we sponsor two children. one in honduras one in peru.

 

[Foxfyre]

Took our old but still functional toaster oven that looked like hell warmed over down to Goodwill who eagerly received it. And for reasons more complicated than anybody wants to read here, I was able to watch two employees--people that probably wouldn't have been hired by anybody else--work on that old oven with love and care, cleaning out every corner, nook, and cranny, polishing all the surfaces, etc. until it looked great. I was tempted to buy it back.

But I was thinking how sad it would have been to have just ditched that old oven at the landfill and forgot about it. As it was, by donating it, two people were gainfully employed for a couple of hours, Goodwill will make something on it when they sell it a a low price to a low income family who need it, and that family will get a good looking, servicable toaster oven that they might not otherwise be able to afford.

When we donate useful items that we don't need any more, it is a win win proposition for everybody.

Not all participate in the program, but most thrift shops are happy to get even unusable discarded clothing and other cloth items. If they can't make them presentable enough to re-sell, they bundle it all up and ship it off to Mexico where they provide work for needy people who tear it into strips and weave it into mats and rugs.

We never know what a little bit of effort can do.

 

[Spoonman]

Took our old but still functional toaster oven that looked like hell warmed over down to Goodwill who eagerly received it. And for reasons more complicated than anybody wants to read here, I was able to watch two employees--people that probably wouldn't have been hired by anybody else--work on that old oven with love and care, cleaning out every corner, nook, and cranny, polishing all the surfaces, etc. until it looked great. I was tempted to buy it back.

But I was thinking how sad it would have been to have just ditched that old oven at the landfill and forgot about it. As it was, by donating it, two people were gainfully employed for a couple of hours, Goodwill will make something on it when they sell it a a low price to a low income family who need it, and that family will get a good looking, servicable toaster oven that they might not otherwise be able to afford.

When we donate useful items that we don't need any more, it is a win win proposition for everybody.

Not all participate in the program, but most thrift shops are happy to get even unusable discarded clothing and other cloth items. If they can't make them presentable enough to re-sell, they bundle it all up and ship it off to Mexico where they provide work for needy people who tear it into strips and weave it into mats and rugs.

We never know what a little bit of effort can do.

when we refurnished our house the veterns picked up all of the old furniture. it was still in great shape. they were thrilled. it took them like 3 trips to get it all.

 

[freedombecki]

This is by far the best thread of 2013! Kudos, everyone!!!

 

[tinydancer]

I look back on that program. We took a hell of a lot of flack because all these morons were going "you'll make them sicker".

They almost blocked the program.

My point and my friends

And went "we're fucking dead, we're terminal" :I look back at them with so much pride. Maybe pride is not the right word

Frankly I don't know what is. But they faced death so bravely and we helped them.

I hope that makes sense.

 

[tinydancer]

Took our old but still functional toaster oven that looked like hell warmed over down to Goodwill who eagerly received it. And for reasons more complicated than anybody wants to read here, I was able to watch two employees--people that probably wouldn't have been hired by anybody else--work on that old oven with love and care, cleaning out every corner, nook, and cranny, polishing all the surfaces, etc. until it looked great. I was tempted to buy it back.

But I was thinking how sad it would have been to have just ditched that old oven at the landfill and forgot about it. As it was, by donating it, two people were gainfully employed for a couple of hours, Goodwill will make something on it when they sell it a a low price to a low income family who need it, and that family will get a good looking, servicable toaster oven that they might not otherwise be able to afford.

When we donate useful items that we don't need any more, it is a win win proposition for everybody.

Not all participate in the program, but most thrift shops are happy to get even unusable discarded clothing and other cloth items. If they can't make them presentable enough to re-sell, they bundle it all up and ship it off to Mexico where they provide work for needy people who tear it into strips and weave it into mats and rugs.

We never know what a little bit of effort can do.

I rolled into this town with 4 catahoulas in the back of the van and 2 cats Nitro a burmese and Pyewacket this old beast of a baby.

Sometimes the Lord stops you in your tracks and tells you stay. I have the MCC, I am blessed.

 

[tinydancer]

Eva's kitchen
God's love we deliver (time and money to both of these)
food for the poor
we sponsor two children. one in honduras one in peru.

It's hard when you sponsor afar. I stick with the Menno's and their work because I know there is no skimming and they do hands on.

 

[Mr. H.]

There was a guy severely injured on a drilling rig down south of here and I saw in the paper where they're having a benefit to help him with bills. Since we'll be out of town, I called the paper and found out where to send a donation.

 

[AmyNation]

I typically donate locally. Local food banks, shelters etc. Our base has some wonderful programs that are always in need.

 

[Steve Hanson]

Now it's exclusively the American Cancer Society

 

[Amelia]

A group which is doing good:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Du0q_1ABxK8]Life Without Limits: UCP of Greater Birmingham 2013 - YouTube[/ame]



(I have relatives in the video.)

 

[PredFan]

Who do I donate to?

The NRA and the GOA.

 

[Polk]

The few donations I do make these days are to my alma mater's fund for scholarships for needy students. I'm pretty young and plan to branch out more once I'm established in my field/therefore have income that doesn't go to "Polk's Beans and Rice Fund".

 

[arKangel]

Don't forget your local Church. Don't be lazy about it, go to the meetings.

 

[Mr. H.]

When I moved to town, I started going to the Knights of Columbus meetings again. Very active in local charities, but bigger booze hounds than ME! I bailed after the 8th hangover.

 

[Foxfyre]

Eva's kitchen
God's love we deliver (time and money to both of these)
food for the poor
we sponsor two children. one in honduras one in peru.

It's hard when you sponsor afar. I stick with the Menno's and their work because I know there is no skimming and they do hands on.

That's one of the beautiful things about a church like ours that sponsors or helps with local and foreign ministries. And we also fund ministries so that we have 'boots on the ground' to keep an eye on the effective stewardship of the funding provided.

For instance we support an orphanage in Juarez in the midst of the free fire zone of the drug cartels that makes it dangerous for staff and for our drivers who periodically transport vanloads of supplies and food stuffs from here to there. It is headed by a member of our church. But when you see those kids, clean, well dressed, happy, and achieving success in school and in life, it is one of the most heart warming things imaginable.

Also as part of the "Joni and Friends" ministry, we currentl have a team in Peru fitting hundreds of donated wheel chairs, walkers, and other such devices and ministering to people who could never afford these things in their lifetime. To see a crippled child, fitted with donated braces, take his or her very first steps, or a immoble person freed to move around in a wheel chair, and the joy on their faces, you want to empty your bank account. And because the work is hands on by unpaid volunteers, we know that every penny donated is doing good for desperately poor people.

We all have to pick and choose where we assign our limited charitable dollars, but there is so much need in the world and so many worthy organizations doing selfless and untiring work to address as much of it as they can.

Thanks again to Sheila for starting this wonderful thread.