Which Charity Is The least Worthy Of A Donation

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Knowsitall
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Which Charity Is The least Worthy Of A Donation

Post by Knowsitall »

Many come calling at my mailbox or door entrance but I support few of them anymore.

The one that sickens me the most is


http://www.cfpsa.com/en/corporate/mFamily/index.asp

I do not understand why government is not legally bound to look after it's employees who serve this country so well??

I am getting fed up with children medical charities as well in light of less kids being born and ever increasing government tax grant plans aid family programs.

Maybe I am getting old but the act of charitable giving is beginning to mean a lot less to me.

The one worthy cause I strongly support are food banks but they have some major issues like who gets what as well.

Charity is big big business today and the number of causes is growing at an alarming rate.

I now strongly think charity is something best practiced in the family circle.
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Post by kcowan »

For us the key is to get the money to where it will make a dfference. I have to desire to fund fat cat salaries of CEOs of non-profits.
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Post by Taggart »

kcowan wrote:For us the key is to get the money to where it will make a dfference. I have to desire to fund fat cat salaries of CEOs of non-profits.
Yes, but they don't make it easy to see which is which. The Federal Government website gives me a headache after about fifteen minutes of fruitless searching.
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Post by Clock Watcher »

I have decided to donate 5% of my annual savings to causes/charities. At work now is this year's United Way Campaign - how efficient are they at getting the money to where it is needed?

It is also interesting that when I check the Heart & Stroke Foundation & the Canadian Diabetes Association's web-sites, some of their diet recommendations will make things worse. I wonder if they have some vested interest, and I have serious reservations about donating to them.
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Post by kcowan »

When I was an unpaid corporate volunteer in the 80s, they supplied an answer that over 80% of every dollar went to their supported charities. Now the supported charities also had their overheads, and, if they were as efficent as the UW, then somewhere around 65% of the contributed dollar went to real work.

In some lesser charities I have heard stories as low as 10% getting through. Size matters in these enterprises.
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Post by pmj »

I contributed my thoughts on this topic a few weeks back:

A method to evaluate efficiency: http://www.financialwisdomforum.org/for ... 863#338863

United Way Ottawa updated to 2008 - 59% net efficiency: http://www.financialwisdomforum.org/for ... 976#338976

We were not impressed by 58% in 2007. Accordingly we chose to redirect our ex-UWay donations to other more efficient charities.

Added: Canadian Diabetes Association - 44% efficient.
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Post by brucecohen »

Clock Watcher wrote: It is also interesting that when I check the Heart & Stroke Foundation & the Canadian Diabetes Association's web-sites, some of their diet recommendations will make things worse. I wonder if they have some vested interest
Heart & Stroke definitely does. A year or so ago its Heart Check logo was exposed as a crass marketing scheme. The logo was rented to food producers without much/any regard for the extent to which the item was healthy/unhealthy. I struck H&S off my list a couple of years ago when the media revealed that it was sitting on an enormous amount of cash. I now focus my giving on small charities like the Mennonite Central Committee, food banks and my local hospital. The only big charity I support is the Cancer Society, but that's only in response to fundraising activities by friends and family.
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Post by Nemo2 »

brucecohen wrote: the Mennonite Central Committee
I had heard, perhaps 4-5 years ago from someone who dealt with them, that the monies given to the Mennonites actually go where they're intended to go.
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Post by Shakespeare »

I have no problem giving to the MCC.
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Post by Nemo2 »

Shakespeare wrote:I have no problem giving to the MCC.
Me neither....I donated to the Sri Lankan, etc, tsunami relief through them.
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Post by blonde »

This 'topic' has been deja-vued ...rite from the get-do days when TFL was King.

Study the SYSTEM

Do not be surprised to learn that most of the membership within the System is Looking After #1. Milking the System Galore. Money is a Mega Motivator.

Our household 'give' a lot to Charity...needless to say, 'Charity' begins at home and stays at home. Don't Trust Anyone. Look After #1.
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Post by Bylo Selhi »

brucecohen wrote:I now focus my giving on small charities like the Mennonite Central Committee, food banks and my local hospital.
Ditto here. I gave up on H&S many years ago when they started running fundraising lotteries, as did Sick Kids, Princess Margaret, et al. We give generously to a local hospital. I cringe when they invite us to expensive fundraising or "donor appreciation" events like high tea at Langdon Hall. I'd rather the money was spent on patients.
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Post by Caleo »

I couldn't say who's least worthy of a donation. But I find more satisfaction in giving now to Salvation Army. Hope Mission, the local SPCA (now called the Humane Society unfortunately), War Amps, and even Red Cross. These are groups that I hear more about the actual good they do vs the advertising hype to give to them

In re to giving to military families, I think it is absolutely shameful that there is not 100% support for our soldiers when they return from missions. Their medical and psychological needs should be completely supported and their families taken care of. It is shameful that they have to ask for charity.
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Post by Clock Watcher »

Caleo wrote:and even Red Cross.
Are these the folks that caused the tainted blood scandal that led to the death of some recipients?
Caleo wrote:In re to giving to military families, I think it is absolutely shameful that there is not 100% support for our soldiers when they return from missions.
I am afraid that I cannot support soliders who attack a country that did not attack us. I know, they are "following orders", but that wears thin after a while. The Christians & the Muslims have been fighting each other for centuries - there is no reason for us to get involved in a religious war.
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Post by Caleo »

Clock Watcher wrote:
Caleo wrote:and even Red Cross.
Are these the folks that caused the tainted blood scandal that led to the death of some recipients?
Caleo wrote:In re to giving to military families, I think it is absolutely shameful that there is not 100% support for our soldiers when they return from missions.
I am afraid that I cannot support soliders who attack a country that did not attack us. I know, they are "following orders", but that wears thin after a while. The Christians & the Muslims have been fighting each other for centuries - there is no reason for us to get involved in a religious war.
Sigh, this is not a thread for arguing about whether we should have troops in Afganistan. We were, however, asked to be there and it is a U.N. sanctioned mission. Not that I have any faith or belief in the U.N. as an institution that should have any moral sway. I am furious though, that we ask our soldiers to take on a VERY difficult task and then don't provide adequate care for them when they suffer the consequences of doing their duty.

As far as Red Cross - when there is a fire or other catastrophe locally or world-wide, they are one of the first to respond with care. Be it first-aid, housing, water, food, whatever is needed. They are do a tremendous amount of good and I feel my support is well worthwhile.
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Post by pmj »

Nemo2 wrote:
brucecohen wrote: the Mennonite Central Committee
I had heard, perhaps 4-5 years ago from someone who dealt with them, that the monies given to the Mennonites actually go where they're intended to go.
IIRC it was Bruce or Yielder who posted this information? I think he cited local flood relief work? At the time I took this info at face value - and chose to donate there. My recent check showed MCC Ontario to be 88% efficient.
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Post by Pickles »

I recall Gummy's neighbour worked with the MCC and Gummy was impressed with the work he did.
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Post by zinfit »

The MCC is terrific. Minimal administrative costs and many, many experienced volunteers who deliver on the ground in the receiving countries.
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Post by Knowsitall »

I am sure MCC is a good charity with a good record.

However my own preference is to donate to a charity which helps those in my own province directly with the emphasis on local.

Thus my idea of greater contributions to a local food bank that I kknow really gives to the local provincial people what they collect with minimium admin costs.

The results were seen here this cold rainy weekend when many were given a hot meal and clothing to keep them warm.

I am a little turned of by the great number of medical lawsuits against some health organizations such as hospitals for their apparent failure protevtion of patients in botched medical procedures or treatments such as cancer ,pathology work etc.

Also hospital hospital medical board charities really splurge om their high end staff with goodies ,rewards and other gifts.

Maybe I see just to much local need but the idea that charity begins at home works greatly for me.

In fact I can look at some family memberswho need some help to get a leg up.

Hope everyone hada nice Thanksgiving with lots of turkey dinner for all
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Post by zinfit »

Salvation Army?
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Post by biker »

After reading this in the Torstar some years ago M.A.D.D rose to #1 on my NO list.

"People who donate to Mothers Against Drunk Driving are told by the charity that most of the $12 million it raises annually is spent on good works — stopping drunk driving and helping families traumatized by fatal crashes.

But a Star investigation reveals most of the high-profile charity's money is spent on fundraising and administration, leaving only about 19 cents of each donor dollar for charitable works."
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Post by pmj »

Hmm - can't get the link to work - but from MADD's 2008 report to CRA - 64% efficient.
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Re: Which Charity Is The least Worthy Of A Donation

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The billionaire boys: Beware of geeks bearing gifts

I very much disagree with the portion below - ISTM that no matter what you do, there is no way to please everybody.
William Langley, with my underlining, wrote:The impact of its size and rigorously business-inspired approach is still being assessed, but while there is no doubt that Gates’s work is saving lives, there are serious doubts about its long-term effectiveness. A common complaint is that the foundation’s fund-raising arm – operating independently of the charitable side – invests its assets in companies that allegedly pollute the environment, exploit poor workers and distort the global financial system. Another is that its wealth and starry image lures health workers and medical resources away from less glamorous areas of need.

In other words, as a long critique in the American magazine Foreign Affairs puts it, the foundation gives with one hand and takes away with the other. In his book Small Change: Why Business Won’t Change the World, Michael Edwards, a former World Bank adviser, asks: “Why should the rich and famous decide how schools are going to be reformed, or what drugs will be supplied at prices affordable to the poor, or which civil society groups will get funding for their work?” In this sense, say opponents of the new philanthropy, the needy are being written out of their own story, with the world’s attention focused instead on the people doing the giving.
Read the comments following the story for more points of view I'd completely disagree with.
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Re: Which Charity Is The least Worthy Of A Donation

Post by Bylo Selhi »

How to make an informed choice for charity
Every donor has his or her own funding priorities -- supporting cutting edge medical research, preserving the environment or helping those in need. For me, what matters most is that my contribution is used for charitable purposes, not fundraising and administration.

Financial information about every Canadian charity can be found through Canada Revenue Agency's charities listing. Suppose, for example, you wish to donate to breast cancer, and you're choosing between the national Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation and locally based Breast Cancer Action Ottawa. The charities listing can help you make the best choice.

To find a charity, just type its name in the charities listing search box. Search until you find the charity that you're looking for, and then click on 'return' or 'T3010 return'...
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Re: Which Charity Is The least Worthy Of A Donation

Post by Knowsitall »

The admin fees for heart and stroke are appalling.

Give to your local foodbank.

Do not give to Kids Hospital especially in NL as they will not even open their books here.

Humbug.
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