Charity season

[Yongy]

Charity shouldnt be seasonal. 10% of our business earnings are sent to a different charity every month. We also donate clothing, supplies, etc to shelters, both animal and human.

We have given many thousands of £s to charity over the years, and will continue to do so.

 

[BlueDragonfly]

That's wonderful!

 

[Victor]

I give very little to charity but I am leaving money to two worthy causes.

 

[ClassicRockr]

When we see local firemen, with their boot, at an intersection, we will drop a dollar or so in. Dropped a dollar in the Salvation Army Kettle last weekend...…...and, boy was the young man grateful. Really kind of surprise just how grateful he was.

Other than those two, nothing else. We feel that there are plenty of people in society that can give much more than we do, because they have much more to give. It's up to them if they want to give or not.

 

[Ellejay]

If these are genuine Charities in desperate need of money, how can they afford TV commercials

I know! The other day I saw a couple of wealthy celebrities on a commercial urging me to donate. I was astounded. It seems like they would have a lot more to donate than I do. I turned down the sound on that one. I don't even remember what charity it was, but the commercial annoyed me.

 

[rgp]

I know! The other day I saw a couple of wealthy celebrities on a commercial urging me to donate. I was astounded. It seems like they would have a lot more to donate than I do. I turned down the sound on that one. I don't even remember what charity it was, but the commercial annoyed me.

Back when I looked into it...some of them ]mostly lesser names] donated their name & time , but most were compensated .

 

[tortiecat]

A wildlife assn.
Local hospital foundation
VON
Local charity that helps homeless teenagers.
Local palliative care hospice.

 

[rgp]

One 'down-side' to [some] charity is the fact that....it is nothing more than enabling . If those that receive on a regular basis KNOW that there is a place to receive , they quite often never learn to earn for themselves.

Just like water, they take the path of least resistance.

 

[Victor]

Do you think it is hypocritical to support an important cause (such as animals, clean air, water, wilderness, nationally and global) and contribute little or nothing to these associations that do the work? I ask because sometimes I feel guilty not giving much but then I see that their executives make 100,000--400,000 a year and they have over a million in assets. (Charity Navigator site) so my 40. means nothing. Of course, if everyone felt like that, they would be much poorer. Anyway, about 80-87% of the funds go toward their progressive work--the rest is fund raising and salaries. The CEO is rich but he or she also raises much money too. Some of 'em are pretty young BTW. It is also true of the usual other charities based on human health.
Am I making excuses for being cheap? Are you?

 

[DaveA]

For whatever reason this topic comes up every year. Talk about beating the dead horse. Why don't folks just give or not give, according to their desires and stop whining about whether the charities or the people they serve are deserving of it.

Is every person on the receiving end a slovenly wastrel or is every high level executive falsifying his taxes, stealing from the company, etc. I think not and don't think we should always choose to generalize, especially about folks in need.

 

[Aunt Bea]

I ask myself those questions sometimes.

I used to contribute money to my local public broadcasting station. I finally stopped because it seemed to me that they were spending twice the amount I gave them sending me solicitations for more frequent and larger donations. I also began to wonder if having me as a member was more valuable to them than my contribution. I've often wondered if having a high membership count helps them to qualify for larger sums of aid from the government.

I guess that we all need to do the best we can and doing something to help others is more important than what we do or how we choose to do it.

 

[oldman]

We give to St. Jude's monthly. At Christmas, we donate to the local SPCA, Salvation Army and Shriners.

We don't care what the CEOs earn. They are going to get paid, regardless if we donate or not. My only concern is that I wish that two of the four charities that we give to would do less TV soliciting for money. IMHO, St. Jude's and Shriners do way too much advertising and that means that way too much money is being spent on soliciting donations. It just seems to me to be a serious waste of money that is already being donated.

I don not understand this type of business or their practices. But, I do have common sense and when I see all of the money that is paid out for advertising to solicit money, it seems to be very contradictive of what this business is supposed to be all about. For example, according to "Charity Navigator" the ASPCA spent about $52mil in 2012 on fund raising. This is one reason why my wife and I drop off a check to the local SPCA, along with a few 50 lb. bags of dog and cat food. I have learned that local merchants, such as Walmart and the big food stores also donate food stuff for animals, as well. We also have asked if the money that we donate stays here at local SPCA and have been told that it does.

 

[Sunny]

Thanks for mentioning Charity Navigator. I had never heard of them, and it seems a good way to check out the various charities.

I do have a few favorites that I give to. But some have been dropped, because they are endlessly sending me "stuff" that I don't need and never asked for: calendars, return address stickers, notepads, etc. I think they have too much money to spend.

 

[rgp]

Thanks for mentioning Charity Navigator. I had never heard of them, and it seems a good way to check out the various charities.

I do have a few favorites that I give to. But some have been dropped, because they are endlessly sending me "stuff" that I don't need and never asked for: calendars, return address stickers, notepads, etc. I think they have too much money to spend.

From the "Humane Society" ....gloves, note pads, mouse pad, calendars , [to many to count], calculators , calculators w/note pads, a multi colored pen, that lights up when you push the button down.....on & on.

Too much....I now give to my local shelter .