What Organizations Do You Contribute To? 92
Cymage asks: "I usually do my charitable contributions in December, and so I am looking at organizations to give to. I try to give to organizations with different areas of focus. Here are some of the ones I have given to in the past/am considering: Basic Needs (Atlanta) - Food Bank and St Vincent, Promoting Self-Sufficiency - Habitat and Heifer, and Digital Rights/Software - EFF, Mozilla, SourceForge, and BitTorrent. What other organizations, especially technical ones, do you give to and why?"
I give to (Score:2, Funny)
Damn! (Score:2)
Most folks here probably do. (Score:2)
This is why I've never purchased a DVD with CCS or region coding, and don't plan to ever do so. (They're a great way to store data.) If you can't kick the DVD habit, at least give a few bucks to the EFF each time you indulge.
How about the RIAA? Find
OpenBSD (Score:4, Insightful)
Charities (Score:5, Informative)
The Ronald McDonald House in particular is amazing. I followed another young girl with terminal cancer that, when she was discharged from the hospital with a week or two to live, said she'd rather live at the Ronald McDonald House for her last few weeks since she'd spent so much time there.
Re:Charities (Score:3, Insightful)
time == money? (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:time == money? (Score:1)
Re:time == money? (Score:2)
Re:time == money? (Score:2)
Yes and no. For the rest of your life, time is likely to be more important than money. However it is likely that at some point in the future you will have a lot of money, and still find time lacking. Please, when you reach that point continue to give both time and money. One is not a substitute for the other. If you don't have money to give you should be living right on the edge of survival. (No TV, no internet, except what is required for work)
As a student don't give money, you don't have it. (even
A few (Score:5, Informative)
I'd also recommend Spirit of America [spiritofamerica.net]: whether or not you support the process by which we got involved in Afghanistan and Iraq, this is a terrific way of trying to get it to work out for the better.
Re:A few (Score:2)
I am/was a member of the Sierra Club, but I agree that they have become WAY too politicized. Sure, George Bush is a "bad, bad man", but every Sierra Club newsletter blows endless hot air about Bush this, Bush that.
I also don't like how the Sierra Club is so focused on promoting government regulation. My new favorites are the Nature Conservancy [nature.org], which works quietly but effectively, and the Rainforest Action Network [ran.org], which works directly with polluting corporations without relying on (much?) government stron
Family scholarship (Score:4, Interesting)
I'm willing to bet that a lot of high schools have similar funds for seniors. If not, starting one would be an excellent project and use of your charitable contributions. I think it's a great way to give something that helps locally (you'll see the results of your money) and will help further someone's education. As a side (and somewhat selfish) benefit, my grandmother, who is in her late 70's, doesn't really need more trinkets or useless crap laying around her house, so instead of presents some of us are contributing extra to the fund in her name.
--trb
The Human Fund (Score:2)
They help people, I think....
Re:The Human Fund (Score:1)
You celebrate festives too huh?
Re:The Human Fund (Score:1)
that's only for the rest-uv-us.
libertarian-friendly charities? (Score:5, Informative)
Even though I'm a libertarian, I still like to help people.
Here is the list of charities I've settled on. They are not 100% Pure Libertarian, but I think they honor the spirit of small-l libertarianism. These links are ALL tax-deductible.
before you donate to the Red Cross... (Score:5, Insightful)
Article [smartmoney.com]
For instance, in its fiscal year ending on June 30, 2002, the American National Red Cross spent $1.16 billion on employee salaries. Spending on actual disaster relief assistance for individuals was only $608 million. Of that, $479 million was for Sept. 11 assistance. This spending occurred only after the media put loads of heat on the organization. During the preceding fiscal year (the one ending on June 30, 2001), the Red Cross spent $1.04 billion on employee salaries and only $149 million on actual assistance for individuals.
Despite all this seemingly damning evidence, Charity Navigators gives the Red Cross a four-star rating, largely because of the organization's financial strength (which after a point, becomes more of a negative than a positive in my view). This is why I think doing your own research is highly advisable, especially if you're contemplating major gifts.
Personally, if you wanted to help through the Red Cross, I'd suggest giving blood instead.
Re:before you donate to the Red Cross... (Score:2)
hmmm, thanks for the article link. I'll need to research the Red Cross more.
Re:before you donate to the Red Cross... (Score:3, Interesting)
The Better Business Bureau's give.org [give.org] charity reports web site says Red Cross CEO Marsha Johnson Evans' base salary is $450,000 and former American Red Cross CEO Dr. Bernadine Healy received total compensation of $1,921,913 (which includes a $1,569,630 severance)!! I know some charities offer high salaries because "executive-quality" people can find high paying jobs elsewhere, paying THAT much for a charity does not project a good image. >:\
Re:before you donate to the Red Cross... (Score:4, Informative)
charitynavigator lists Program Expenses at 91.1% of their budget, this amount includes both material costs of doing their work, as well as labor. Administration Expenses is 5.2%, which isn't great considering their budget, it's probably justified.
What you have found is merely sensational journalism (probably not even journalism) that is expressing the statistics in a way they need to make their story.
The Red Cross isn't made up of volunteers, so they do in fact need to pay the people doing the work.
Debian (Score:3)
Oh, wait, no, that's why I stopped.
Salvation Army (Score:1)
Charitable Contributions (Score:2)
Re:Charitable Contributions (Score:2)
I don't remember the specifics, but a couple of years ago we went over the yearly limit and our tax guy worked it so that the over-amount was carried over to the next year.
But yeah, you should talk to a CPA. Or just give the money away and then have the CPA do yo
US Tax code- sorta kinda (Score:2)
How much will you save on taxes? Roughly your tax percentage times your donations. For instance, if you are buying a home, have kids and give a fair amount to charity, your real tax rate might be around 10% (taxes owed / gross income / 100). In this case, your tax benefit is 10% of whatever you give. IO
Time (Score:2)
I only do things in my locality (due to travel time)
I refuse to give a penny to or have anything to do with abrahamics (judaism, christianity, & islam) as they cause enough misery without my help.
I only work about 20 hours a week and this keeps me really busy, I've become quite the handyman and good with filling out various forms for the local government.
You don't have to look far before you find something worthy your time and money and
Child's Play (Score:1)
Last year (the first year) they raised something like $250k and really did a lot of good for the hospitals.
It's a chance for gamers to show the community what we're really about instead of being stereotyped as violent misfits living in basements.
Re:Child's Play (Score:2)
Noncommercial Broadcasters (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Noncommercial Broadcasters (Score:2)
I got hooked on science and technology as a kid watching Nova, Doctor Who, 3-2-1 Contact, Zoom, and a host of other science and sci-fi programs on Public Television. It may not be quite what it used to be, but it's still the first and best source of early GOOD TV science hooks for kids. Ac
Programs I find useful (Score:2)
Haven't put at my list together yet this year, but typically the guys at putty, Mozilla Foundation, OpenOffice.Org and a few others.
Even just a few extra dollars helps these and other projects out! Give what you can--or wait until the su
not too many technical places (Score:2)
The Salvation Army
The Goodwill Computer Store (semi-technical?)
The Ronald McDonald House
Some kids who don't have a dad around
Our church always helps 1-3 needy families (it's a small church)
A local veterans organization
The NRA
Blue or Brown Santa, or Toys for Tots
sometimes a local homeless group
You might consider having the homeless in for a meal
local boy, girl, cub, etc. scouts
pretty much any kid who shows up at our doo
You get the *strangest* combination of junk mail (Score:3, Insightful)
Seriously. I think my junk mail gets in fights in my mail box.
Re:You get the *strangest* combination of junk mai (Score:2)
Re:You get the *strangest* combination of junk mai (Score:2)
Year round (Score:3, Insightful)
First of all, giving should be year round. Odds are family obligations this time of year take a lot of your free cash. Even if you could give, it is sometimes a good idea to put a little extra into retirement accounts if you are not up to the yearly max. (See a professional for advice, and you need to consider your own situation) I'm not saying give to yourself first, but there are many reasons this should be a month where you might give less than normal. But only if there is a normal.
First of all, give blood if you can. The restrictions are so tough that most of you cannot, but for those who can, please give often! In the same note, make sure you have an organ donor card filled out with the state.
Next, check your charities. I refuse to give to the United Way because they spend so much on promotion. (nearly half the money you give them isn't spent on good causes) Unfortunately they do know the small causes that you should be giving to, so I can't say they are evil, just I don't like them. Don't give to them unless you are at a loss for anything else to give to.
I give to Ducks Unlimited [ducks.org] every spring when their fund raiser comes up.
Every time I get groceries give $3 to the local food shelf. (my local store will add that onto my bill, or they have a collection point at the exit for foods I buy) It isn't much, but it adds up. (disclaimer, I just started this, my goal is to make this last though)
My local electric co-op rounds all my bills up to the nearest dollar. That $6/year all goes to charity, and I don't even notice. Suggest your utilities do the same.
I'm not going to cover what others have said. The important part is to find what works for you, and then do it.
Re:Organ Donation (Score:2)
As for other states or countries, it's up to you to find out the procedure.
Who I give money to (Score:1)
Re:Who I give money to (Score:3)
I'm seeing people list a lot of special interest, activist organizations pushing political agendas. Instead of relief organizations like Samaritan's Purse [samaritanspurse.org] and Operation Blessing [ob.org], I'm seeing Mozilla and Pacifica Radio?? (I just reloaded the comments, and there are more real charities listed now.) Look, I'm a member of SpreadFirefox.com, and I'm glad there is alternative media, but give me a break! What about the sick, the
Re:Who I give money to (Score:1)
Re:Who I give money to (Score:2)
What about the oppressed, the persecuted, the abused? How about some priorities? There are a lot of people in the world who need your donations more than the lawyers at the ACLU and Stallman's cronies at the EFF.
I would consider donating to the ACLU because it helps the oppressed. It may not be popular to support Nazi speech (using one example), but it is necessary in order to support free speech.
In the same light, I would consider donating to the EFF because I believe that Stallman's "right to re
Re:Who I give money to (Score:2)
When I speak of oppression, I'm mostly thinking about the slaves in Africa and the worldwide sex slave trade. There are human rights organizations (mostly Christian) buying people out of slavery in Africa and rescuing women and children from the sex slave trade.
The ACLU has a skewed perspective as to who is "oppressing" whom. They say that a person engaged in homosexuality has a "right" to join the Boy Scouts of America, an organizatio
Re:Who I give money to (Score:2)
The ACLU has a skewed perspective as to who is "oppressing" whom. They say that a person engaged in homosexuality has a "right" to join the Boy Scouts of America, an organization that requires belief in and respect for the God of the Bible. The ACLU thus attacks (oppresses?) the BSA in order to force an unqualified person into its organization. The ACLU acts to destroy the BSA and other organizations that have rules for membership. In cases like this, homosexuals and the ACLU are ones trying to take away
Re:Who I give money to (Score:1)
Actually, communism and atheism have nothing to do with each other. Stalin and other "communist" dictators opposed religion only because they didn't like sharing power (and weren't smart enough to work through religion like so many other dictators). But you're right, Jesus would have favored communism over capitalism.
Re:Who I give money to (Score:1)
Re:Who I give money to (Score:1)
Because, of course, all of those gay Christians are just faking their belief in God. How sneaky of them!
Re:Who I give money to (Score:2)
I should not be compelled to fund religious organizations with my tax dollars. That is an obscenity. If the BSA is a religious organization, as it appears to be, then it should not benefit in any way from public funds. That was the gist of the argument in Dale v. BSA. Public group = no d
Re:Who I give money to (Score:2)
User Friendly (Score:2)
They have the BEST premiums...plus it's a good thing to do. How many comic strip artists publish with O'Reilly?
Illiad is awesome. (I am in no way affiliated with User Friendly, I'm just a fangirl
~
How about who don't you give to? (Score:1)
If I get a phone call during normal supper time, I won't give to that charity unless it is one I REALLY care about. Especially if they are rude to me. A couple months ago I got a call from a Firefighters charity at 6:00pm, just as I was sitting down to dinner. I politely told the individual I was not interested but before I could finish, they hung up on me. They won't be seeing any of my money.
Recently the news reported that the local police were hiring a private group to collect donations door to door
Re:How about who don't you give to? (Score:2)
My Church (Score:2)
USO (Score:3, Informative)
My Church and the Salvation Army (Score:1)
JPFO and Software In The Public Interest (Score:2)
So I went looking for a more focused rights-oriented, rather than money oriented, organization and
MSF (Score:1)
Re:MSF (Score:1)
Re:MSF (Score:2)
http://www.ewb.ca
http://www.ewb-usa.org/
A similarily worthwhile cause that probably resonates with the
People (Score:2)
FKF (Score:1)
LK
Freedom From Religion Foundation (Score:1)
Re:Freedom From Religion Foundation (Score:2)
So if you're not a nontheist, AU might be a choice you're more comfortable with. Traditional conservatives, people who grasp the concept of democracy, liberals of all kinds, the religious and the non should all be working together to protect our right to be free from each OTHER'S religion
What organizations do you contribute to (Score:1)
Nobody. (Score:1)
[joking!]
[sort of...]
I'm of the opinion that most Americans are far too indebted to even consider charitable donation. They should take care of that first, and then donate later when they don't have interest charges knocking down their door.
They then have more money for themselves, meaning they're less likely to need philanthopy, and more able to give it.
Hey, you asked...
Re:Nobody. (Score:2)
Answer me honestly: How many of the "gifts" you're buying this season are honestly useful and needed? How much of that unnecessary spending goes onto a credit card?
Americans by and large aren't in need of philanthropy. They're in need of common fiscal sense. There are definitely people, at home and abroad, who need help. Try that instead of buying uncle Jim another tie he'll never wear.
Doctors Without Borders (Score:2)
Church and Pro-Life (Score:2)
We also support a little girl in Ecuador, who happens to be the same age as our youngest son. This is through an organization called Compassion.
Heifer? No... you're going the wrong way. (Score:2)
Re:Heifer? No... you're going the wrong way. (Score:1)
Re:Heifer? No... you're going the wrong way. (Score:2)
As for grass grazing of cattle: If the grass grows so could grains. There are hundreds of grains humans can live off of, that don't promote soil erosion like overgrazing livestock.
Open source all the way! (Score:1)
This year I gave to:
TightVNC
Vim
Jpilot
Mozilla
KDE
I've used these products for years (at work too) and realized I really needed to pay them back for the tremendous functionality they've given me to do my job.
I even sent money to dpreview since the content is so excellent I really wanted to pay for it (haven't bought yet, so couldn't use their linked retailers).
Several I would've liked to give to but giving money wasn't available or wasn't easy (paypal): fedora, pine, jpluck, xawtv, mplayer, xmms, grip, la
Donate your time. (Score:1)
As for money gifts, ACLU, Planned Parenthood, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), Big Brother, Big Sister.
What I like to ask, when charities come up. (Score:2)
Re:What I like to ask, when charities come up. (Score:1)
As far as taxes go, I do list my donations on my taxes. I have considered giving anonymously, but don't really see a need to do that. I try to give to charities based upon what they do and how they are run. The tax deduction is just a nice side effect. I do agree that donations in general would be less if they were not deductable.
Re:What I like to ask, when charities come up. (Score:1)
For a single person, the standard deduction is almost $5,000; married is almost $10k. So you'd have to have a lot of deductions for other reasons, or give over that amount, to have it matter for tax purposes.
ISAIAH (Score:1)
This group is not about evangelizing. It's about getting down and dirty in the political process to effect real change. I am working on securing dedicated funding for public transportation in Minnesota. I have been amazed by what this group does. Immigration reform, brownfields cleanup, affordable housing, domestic violence -- the list just goes on. The Gamaliel F [gamaliel.org]
Religious Groups on Campus (Score:2)
I suggest going to your almamater and donating a few hundred dollars to your campus ministry, Chabad, or Hillel. With tight budgets, religious organizations provide cost effective and selfless support to many students.
Hospice (Score:1)
Joe Homan (Score:2)
Simple, lightweight organization, mostly locally run and administered.
Companies who match charitable gifts. (Score:2)
Anyways, each year I give to the EFF (should be obvious why) and Ducks Unlimited (www.ducks.org) who help protect America's wetlands.
Tech $$$ Giving (Score:1)
There are a few recycling-refurbishing programs here in the bay area who could use the support of a few extra geekbucks.... besides mine... including:
My donations (money and/or time) (Score:2)
I donate money to these guys... yearly dues + the occassional one-off donation to help a particular project.
2. Civietown Volunteer Fire Department.
I was an active member of this VFD from about 1989 through 2000, during which time I held every position from "probie" to acting fire chief, and led the department in "calls answered" in 1999 while serving as assistant chief. I spent more hours than I care to recall conducting training meetings, working on equipment, filling out pape