Charitable Giving

[Crumb]

For quite awhile I have been wanting to give more to charity, but haven't really gotten anything off the ground. So my plan is to set aside a certain amount of money every month to donate. I am still debating the exact amount. I may start with $50 and then let it grow as I find more things I want to give to.

So I have started a little spread sheet to track what I am giving and where it is going per month. I need ideas on where my money will do the most good. So far I have only Oregon Food Bank on my list. It is good because it is local and has a single simple focus: getting food to the hungry.

Anyone have any suggestions of good secular charities that I might be interested in?

Anyone else give regularly? How much do you generally give? Who do you usually give it to? If you don't you could take this opportunity to start.

[Legs]

paypal it to me

legs@legs.com

[Crumb]

[Watser?]

I only give to Kiva which was in Stormy's link (still is I think) and to Anarchists against the Wall in Israel. I doubt this is very useful to you now that I think of it...

[Crumb]

Sure it is. Do you give on a regular schedule or just sporadically?

[Watser?]

I give 20 dollars a month to the anarchists.

I have given Kiva some 20 in all and loaned them 50 I think.

[Crumb]

Oh yeah, Kiza is that micro-loan thing right? That seems interesting. I will add that to my list.

[viscousmemories]

I think I have a couple hundred dollars in Kiva now - I just re-loan it whenever the loans are paid off and sometimes add more. I'm also associated with a Secularist group on Kiva, so the unfortunate buggers who get money from me get it in the name of Satan.

I used to give to the local NPR affiliate until their most recent drive. I was offended by their "we provide you a service, do the right thing and pay us for it" approach to begging.

[Crumb]

I think I will be signing up there.

[lisarea]

I don't have any money anymore, but when I did, we had this huge intricate taxonomy we'd use when doling it out, and the Little Muffin and I would have family meetings to portion it out in different quantities.

We had general categories for corporeal needs like food and shelter, justicey things like legal foundations and advocacy, and cultural things like arts and beautification and stuff. These were further subdivided, when applicable, into human, companion animal, and environmental.

So, a food bank or homeless shelter would be corporeal human; a no kill shelter would be corporeal companion animal; and conservation groups would be corporeal environmental. We didn't actually have a formula, but we'd try to portion things out so that there was some balance in giving to both short-term and long-term goals--the thinking being that, while certain corporeal needs were more immediately urgent to preserving life, the others were geared toward improving life in the longer term.

[Legs]

I send all my money to

[livius drusus]

Heifer International is my favorite large charity. I like their "teach a man to fish" approach and how many different options there are for giving. They get full marks from the BBB on their accountability standards.

I've given Heifer donations as gifts, too. The last 10 years of my grandmother's life I gave her a gift donation of different animals each time. She was at the point where she really wasn't interested in the usual bday tsotchkes, so she really loved knowing the money was going to a great organization and looked forward each year to seeing which animal I'd pick.

[Qingdai]

I like Doctors Without Borders | MSF USA, .: Sisters Of The Road, Inc. :. (which is local and feeds the hungry and advocates for the homeless) and Outside In :: Serving homeless youth and low-income adults in Portland Oregon, (which I've volunteered at, they provide support for homeless youth and health care for the uninsured and have a needle exchange).

They are all secular, they get money from some religious organizations, but they are not themselves religious.

[ShottleBop]

Last year:

Corporate Accountability International
Save the Children*
San Diego Repertory Theatre
United Negro College Fund
Cygnet Theatre Company*
Under One Roof
Special Olympics Southern California
American Jewish World Service (helps everyone, not just Jews)*
Americans United for the Separation of Church and State
March of Dimes
Amnesty International USA
Project Open Hand
Berkeley Law Foundation*
Planned Parenthood Federation of America
Lavender Youth Recreation & Information Center
CARE
Southern Poverty Law Center
HealthWell Foundation
UC San Diego Foundation
National Wildlife Federation
American Heart Association
Doctors Without Borders
The Nature Conservancy
Boalt Hall Fund
Operation Smile
The Zoological Society of San Diego
American Indian Relief Council
Community United Against Violence*
Tikkun*
Green America
Heifer International
FINCA
Muscular Dystrophy Association (I was in "jail" for them)
American Cancer Society
Help Hospitalized Veterans


Also some nondeductible ones, such as the ACLU.
Also donated to a couple of friends/relatives to help fund mission trips, despite our nonbelief.


________
* Major commitment ($500 or more)

[viscousmemories]

Holy shit.

[Crumb]

Thanks for all the suggestions.

[Jerome]

Giving time to local small charities can go much further than cash donations to large organizations.

[Watser?]

Oh yeah, I forgot Amnesty International, I give to them too and to the FF, hehe.

Also, I know a guy from my training for when I went to Palestine/Israel who works here: ABOUT US | Nonviolent Peaceforce and begs me for money from time to time but I have very limited funds...

[Crumb]

Originally Posted by JEROME DA GNOME

Giving time to local small charities can go much further than cash donations to large organizations.

This is true. Money is easier to give though. Anyone do much volunteering?

[Watser?]

I work for a local Amnesty International group sometimes. We have a big petition drive this month.

[Crumb]

What do you do?

[Watser?]

Oh, I call people to ask them to help, I am the link with the festival director where we store our stuff and get our meals in between, and I am one of the people there to actually bug people to sign the petitions. In this case I think it is support for a women's rights activist in Democratic Congo.

[mickthinks]

Anyone else think it's unattractive to boast about your charitable giving, or is it just me?

[Legs]

Originally Posted by Crumb

Anyone else give regularly? How much do you generally give? Who do you usually give it to?

[wildernesse]

One thing that changed my thinking about giving was that I made a pledge for a year that I would give a certain amount. It made a big difference in my perspective and commitment, because I knew that the organization was counting on me and I had given my word about it.

Local domestic violence and homeless shelters, as well as sexual assault centers, generally can always use some extra help. Anything that provides enrichment to young children is a great thing--maybe you could provide a scholarship to a summer camp?